KSOE to build 12 methanol-fuelled vessels for European company

An undisclosed European company has ordered 12 container ships from South Korean shipbuilder Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE).

PHOTO: Danish shipping company A.P. Møller – Mærsk currently has a total of 19 methanol-fuelled container vessels under construction. A.P. Møller – Mærsk

KSOE says the vessels will be built by its subsidiary Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries and delivered by December 2026. The order is valued at 2.53 trillion South Korean won ($2.05 billion), as per the company's regulatory filing.

Methanol will power the container ships, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap.

Shipbuilding sources have told TradeWinds that "the newbuildings were of 13,000 TEU and were ordered by CMA CGM."

Last June, CMA CGM ordered six 15,000 TEU capacity dual-fuel methanol-powered vessels for induction by 2025. If KSOE's order is confirmed, CMA CGM will have 18 orders for methanol-fuelled vessels compared to 19 for Danish shipping company Maersk and 12 for Chinese shipping company COSCO Shipping Lines.

CMA CGM declined to comment on ENGINE's query.

By Konica Bhatt

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