SHI lands 16 x MeOH-fuelled 16,000 teu order from Evergreen

The contract is equivalent to a vessel price of around US$180-210 million each. Few details about the vessels’ proposed delivery dates or equipment suppliers were available, the shipowner told the conference call. The Taiwanese based container line operator has previously noted that the vessels are expected to operate on routes between Asia and Europe.

Including the 24 orders announced on 11 July, Evergreen has placed orders for 61 newbuilding container ships. It expects three vessels to be delivered before the end of 2023, and a further 22 newbuildings to be delivered in 2024.

Evergreen noted that the construction of dual-fuel vessels was only one of the company’s responses to the evolving regulatory environment. Other operational responses include the optimisation of vessels’ speed and route optimisation, as well as the acceleration of the digitalisation of shipping information. 

From a fuel supply perspective, Evergreen did not clarify its plans for operating the vessels on renewable bio-methanol. Even though the first vessels are unlikely to be delivered before 2026, given current slot availability constraints, the sourcing of carbon neutral methanol is likely to remain challenging.  

In terms of emissions reduction technologies, Evergreen Shipping noted that the ship owner was continuing to conduct tests on biofuels, and was also planning to test carbon capture technology.