Alphaliner has confirmed widely reported news that Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) has become the latest carrier to commit to LNG-fuelled tonnage.
The world’s second largest containerline has concluded long term charters for eleven 15,300 teu LNG-ready ships Eastern Pacific Shipping has recently contracted Hyundai Heavy Industries to build.
MSC joins CMA CGM, Hapag-Lloyd and ZIM in committing capex to LNG-ready tonnage.
MSC has been on a remarkable ship buying binge over the past 12 months, both for newbuilds and secondhand tonnage, something which positions the Geneva-based carrier as firmly on track to overhaul 2M partner Maersk at the top of the global liner rankings.
Liner peers ought to take note of the stunning fleet build-up at MSC. Since August last year the company has added just shy of 50 secondhand ships, while it awaits delivery of close to 1m slots worth of newbuilds, either owned or taken on long-term charter.
“With a number of ‘undisclosed’ orders for large mainline ships expected to go to MSC, the carrier’s pipeline might soon exceed 900,000 teu and come close to the 1,000,000 teu mark,” Alphaliner noted in its most recent weekly report.
Only Taiwan’s Evergreen has a comparable orderbook among the global liners.
Source: SPLASH247.COM
