Maersk Line has reportedly ordered up to a dozen LNG dual-fuelled 16,000 TEU container ships at New Times Shipbuilding in China, adding to growing talk that the Danish carrier is rethinking its bet on green methanol as its future marine fuel.

Greece’s Xclusiv Shipbrokers stated in its latest market report that Maersk Line made firm orders for six vessels at New Times, with options for another six vessels.

Each ship is priced at US$200 million, with delivery slated in 2028. If the options are exercised, the total contract value will be US$2.4 billion.

Maersk has not responded to Container News’ request for comment at the time of writing.

The reported orders were disclosed less than a week after Maersk Line commissioned six 16,000 TEU LNG dual-fuelled boxships at South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean on 9 October with a total contract value estimated at US$1.25 billion.

Maersk’s orders at Hanwha Ocean put paid to speculation that South Korea’s third-largest shipbuilder had given up on winning boxship orders. It was also Hanwha Ocean’s first boxship order after two years.

Maersk, whose passiveness in ordering newbuildings during the Covid-19-fuelled boom saw it lose its top ranking from MSC, is said to be mulling orders for 32 container ships overall.

Besides Hanwha Ocean and New Times, another Chinese shipyard, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, is expected to build 10 vessels for the Copenhagen-based ocean carrier.

On top of the newbuildings to be contracted by Maersk, the Danish company is understood to have chartered five 16,800 TEU vessels that John Fredriksen-controlled SFL ordered from New Times in July.

A container shipping executive told Container News that while Maersk Line had previously banked on green methanol to achieve decarbonisation, concerns about an adequate supply of the fuel may have caused the Danish line to turn to LNG.

He said: “LNG production has really ramped up a lot in the past decade, whereas no one can be sure there’ll be enough green methanol. It’s better to build a ship with certainty of the fuel availability.”

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