China International Marine Containers (CIMC) has placed an order with Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard in China for 10 x 10,300 teu container vessel newbuildings, according to Chinese language social media posts by the shipyard. The vessels will be equipped with dual-fuel engines capable of operating on LNG, and will be operated by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).
The vessels are expected to be delivered between the second half of 2026 and 2027. The contract is equivalent to a vessel price of around US$130 million each.
Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard previously confirmed the receipt of an order for 10 x dual-fuel 11,500 TEU container vessels in December 2022, which are slated for delivery between 2025 and 2026.
The ships are based upon a design developed by CIMC Ocean Engineering Design & Research Institute. While the announcement extends MSC’s LNG-fuelled containership orderbook, the order also permits future flexibility in fuel choices.
The announcement noted that the vessels’ dual-fuel engines will be suitable for future conversion to ammonia or methanol-fuelled propulsion.The Motorship has previously reported that MSC is currently participating in an engine conversion project with Wärtsilä 2-stroke to convert an12RT-flex96C engine on a 13,000 teu to methanol-fuelled operation in 2024.
