Six vessels worth 3.5 billion yuan! Taiwanese shipowner places order for LNG dual-fuel container ships for the first time.

China Taiwan Wan Hai Lines has, for the first time, deployed LNG dual-fuel container ships, placing its first order with Huangpu Wenchong.

On December 16, Wan Hai Lines’ subsidiary, Wan Hai Shipping (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., issued an announcement stating that, based on the Group’s long-term development and overall operational considerations, it plans to procure six 6,000-TEU LNG dual-fuel container ships from Huangpu Wenchong. The average price per vessel ranges from US$75.2 million to US$82 million (approximately RMB 529 million to RMB 577 million), with a total transaction amount ranging from US$451.2 million to US$492 million (approximately RMB 3.177 billion to RMB 3.465 billion). The ship prices include the cost of vessel upgrade equipment.

This marks Wan Hai Lines’ first-ever order for LNG dual-fuel container ships, and also represents a rare order placed by the company with a mainland Chinese shipbuilder in recent years. It is understood that Wan Hai Lines returned to the newbuilding market for container ships last year, signing contracts with HD Hyundai Samho to build four 8,700-TEU methanol dual-fuel container ships and four 16,000-TEU methanol-ready vessels. Additionally, the company has also signed a contract with Samsung Heavy Industries to build four 16,000-TEU container ships.

Earlier this year, Wan Hai Lines officially signed another major order for 12+4 container ships, each with a capacity of 8,700 TEU. Among these, the four vessels designated as optional orders are expected to be formally confirmed and become effective in July. In April of this year, Wan Hai Lines further increased its order by adding four 16,000-TEU methanol-ready vessels, two of which will be built by South Korea’s HD Hyundai Samho and two by Samsung Heavy Industries.

The total value of the aforementioned 28 new vessels is approximately US$4.953 billion (about RMB 34.879 billion). The first batch of these new vessels is expected to be delivered in the second half of next year.

It is understood that Wan Hai Lines, along with Evergreen Line and Yang Ming Marine Transport, ranks among Taiwan’s “Big Three” container shipping companies. Unlike the other two, Wan Hai Lines primarily focuses on intra-Asian routes; however, in recent years, it has been steadily expanding into long-haul ocean routes as well. With the continuous delivery of new vessels, Wan Hai Lines’ competitiveness has significantly improved. This year, three newly built 13,000-TEU container ships have been delivered and put into operation, further enhancing the efficiency of its fleet operations.

Currently, 41 vessels in Wan Hai Lines’ fleet are already equipped with shore power facilities, and all newly built vessels will also be fitted with such equipment, in compliance with ESG requirements for energy conservation and emission reduction and to enhance operational competitiveness. According to data from Alphaliner, Wan Hai Lines currently operates a fleet of 117 vessels totaling 580,000 TEU, all of which are owned by the company. The company ranks 11th globally, with a market share of 1.7%.

Based on current data, once Wan Hai Lines delivers all 38 of its new vessels under construction—totaling 390,000 TEU—the size of its fleet will soon surpass that of ZIM, Israel’s shipping line currently ranked tenth, enabling Wan Hai Lines to successfully enter the top ten.

It is understood that Huangpu Wenchong is a key shipbuilding enterprise under China Shipbuilding Group and also the largest shipbuilding facility in South China. The company boasts extensive experience in shipbuilding and repair, and its product quality is widely recognized by shipowners worldwide. Among its products, feeder container ships, commercial cargo vessels, dredging vessels, offshore engineering vessels, and research vessels are representative of the company’s civilian product manufacturing segment.

Huangpu Wenchong entered the mid-sized container ship construction sector last year and secured its first contract from Thailand’s Regional Container Lines (RCL) for the construction of four 4,300-TEU container ships. Building on this initial success, in 2024 Huangpu Wenchong won new shipbuilding orders for 24 feeder container vessels of 4,300 TEU or less, and currently holds an order book of 48 such vessels—both figures ranking first in the world.

Earlier this year, Huangpu Wenchong successfully secured its first major order for container ships—the construction contracts for two 9,200-TEU methanol-ready container vessels with Danaos Corp, a well-known Greek shipping company. This milestone marks a solid step forward for Huangpu Wenchong toward its goal of becoming a leading domestic shipbuilding enterprise, and will significantly enhance the company’s international market competitiveness and brand influence.

According to Clarkson’s data, excluding the latest orders, as of now, Huangpu Wenchong has a total of 134 vessels on hand, with a combined deadweight tonnage of 5.5 million tons. These include 78 container ships, 20 bulk carriers, 14 LPG carriers, 8 multipurpose vessels, 10 offshore engineering vessels, and 4 other types of vessels. Delivery schedules extend through 2029.