Largest in South China! Guangzhou Shipbuilding International Names 16,000-TEU Dual-Fuel Container Ship

On January 19, Guangzhou Shipyard International named the second of the two 16,000-TEU dual-fuel LNG-powered container ships built for China Merchants Bank Financial Leasing Co., Ltd. The naming ceremony was attended by Ms. Li Yueyi, who christened the vessel “MSC Claire.”

The Mediterranean Shipping Company is the charterer of this vessel. In March 2021, Guangzhou Shipyard International, in collaboration with the Mediterranean Shipping Company, secured its first contract to build six 16,000-TEU container ships. Subsequently, the shipowner placed an additional order for two more 16,000-TEU dual-fuel LNG-powered container ships. The vessel being named today is the second of these additional dual-fuel container ships—and also the eighth 16,000-TEU container ship built by Guangzhou Shipyard International for the Mediterranean Shipping Company.

Based on the original vessel design, this new ship features an added LNG dual-fuel system. Its Type B LNG fuel tanks each have a single-tank capacity of 13,000 cubic meters, setting a new domestic record for similar tank capacities in marine vessels. The ship is equipped with an air lubrication drag-reduction system and a shaft-driven generator, placing its overall performance among the top ranks of large, eco-friendly container ships. The vessel’s maximum container capacity reaches 16,196 TEU; if these containers were lined up end to end, they would stretch approximately 100 kilometers in length.

The eight vessels in this series represent the largest container ships ever built in South China to date. From the very beginning, when the construction team at Guangzhou Shipbuilding International was still feeling its way forward, it has steadily mastered a number of critical core technologies—including digital simulation of container trials, segment fabrication with zero material surplus, dry-dock assembly without any excess material, and fully automated welding of 85-millimeter-thick crack-arrest steel—achieving leapfrog development that makes each successive vessel faster and better than the last. Along the way, the “dare to pioneer, bravely break through, unite in solidarity and strive relentlessly, and always win” spirit of Guangzhou Shipbuilding International’s container ship division has taken shape.

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