Yang Ming opens bids for five 15,000 TEU LNG-powered box ships
Taiwan’s Yang Ming Marine Transport is inviting bids for the construction of five LNG-powered containerships as part of its fleet renewal program.
PHOTO: Yang Ming container vessel. Yang Ming
- Yang Ming invites bids for five Neopanamax vessels with LNG dual-fuel engines
- Delivery of first vessel is expected by the first half of 2025
- Yang Ming expects to reduce GHG emissions by at least 20% with its new LNG fleet
Yang Ming has officially launched an international tender valid until 6 September for construction of 15,000 TEU capacity container ships.
The Neopanamax vessels will be equipped with LNG dual-fuel engines that can also run on conventional VLSFO and MGO grades, according to the tender documents. They will be about 366 meters long and 51.2 meters wide.
The delivery of the first vessel is expected in the first half of 2025, and the fifth and final ship in the first half of 2026. This move will make Yang Ming the first shipping company in Taiwan to own LNG-powered containerships.
Yang Ming is part of The Alliance, a shipping consortium that includes Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, and HMM. The company said that it chose LNG as fuel in order to comply with the IMO’s tightening emissions regulations, and the Fit for 55 package which is part of the European Commission’s green deal. It expects to reduce GHG emissions by at least 20% compared to using conventional fuel.
A total of 313 LNG-fuelled vessels are in operation globally this year, according to classification society DNV. An additional 77 LNG-fuelled vessels are on order for delivery this year, and another 155 vessels are LNG-ready.
The number of LNG-fuelled vessels on order for delivery by 2028 is much higher at 503.
