PIL Orders Five More LNG-Fueled Ships from Chinese Builder

Pacific International Lines Pte. Ltd. (PIL) has contracted Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co. Ltd. to construct five dual-fuel container vessels designed for liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueling, the Singaporean container shipping company said.

The order for 9,000-twenty-foot-equivalent-unit (TEU) vessels follows PIL’s order of five LNG dual-fuel container vessels with a capacity of 13,000 TEU from the same Chinese shipbuilder last August. For the latest order, PIL expects delivery 2027 and 2028, it said in an online statement.

The vessels are part of PIL’s bid to replace up to half of its fleet with modern units over the next decade, with 18 newbuilds ordered since 2022, chief executive Lars Kastrup said.

“The new 9,000-TEU vessels are designed with highly-optimized cargo stowage features which will significantly enhance PIL’s service capabilities”, PIL said. “They will also be built to achieve a high level of environmental sustainability. In addition to being LNG-powered, the vessels have the capability to transition to running on bio-methane, one of the lowest emission fuels available to the shipping industry today”.

The ships from Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp., will comply with the International Maritime Organization’s Energy Efficiency Design Index for newbuilds and the Carbon Intensity Indicator, PIL said.

“They will feature energy-saving features such as a streamlined hull-form, variable-frequency drive motors, shaft generators, lower-energy LED lightings as well as superior hull coatings”, it added.

PIL has also ordered four 14,000-TEU and four 8,000-TEU ships. On October 26, one of the 14,000-TEU ships, Kota Eagle, had its first bunkering with 8,000 cubic meters (282,500 cubic feet) of LNG, becoming PIL’s first LNG-powered containership, as announced by the company. Kota Eagle has been deployed to Latin America.

“The use of LNG as a marine fuel is a pragmatic option enabling the shipping industry to achieve tangible and immediate reduction in carbon emissions”, PIL said, announcing the fueling operation, which took place in the Chinese city of Shanghai.

In other company developments, PIL announced Monday it will launch into operation a new weekly feeder service between Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates, and Umm Qasr, Iraq, on November 15.

“Known as the Iraq Feeder Service (IQF), it will complement PIL’s flagship Middle East service – Gulf China Service”, PIL said in a press release. “As a dedicated feeder service, IQF will contribute to enhancing connectivity between the Middle East with the rest of PIL’s global network”.

PIL operates about 100 container vessels, serving over 90 countries, according to the company.

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