Following its order for 12 18,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container ships from Jiangnan Shipyard earlier this year, COSCO Shipping Holdings has announced another major order for 12 13,600 TEU LNG dual-fuel container ships.
On April 29, COSCO Shipping Holdings announced that a wholly-owned single-vessel subsidiary of its controlling subsidiary, Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd. (OOCL), had signed a shipbuilding agreement with Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. (“Hudong-Zhonghua”) and China Shipbuilding Trading Co., Ltd. (CSTC) to build 12 13,600 TEU LNG dual-fuel container ships. The cost per vessel is $185 million (approximately RMB 1.269 billion), with a total contract value of US$2.22 billion (approximately RMB 15.227 billion).
The aforementioned vessels will be equipped with green power fuel technologies (such as LNG dual-fuel engines), possessing high versatility and suitability for operation on various trade routes and at various terminals. Delivery is expected between the third quarter of 2028 and the first quarter of 2030.
The announcement disclosed that OOCL solicited quotes from the seller and two other independent third-party shipbuilders for the order of 12 13,600 TEU LNG dual-fuel container ships. However, due to limited dry dock and resources, the other two shipbuilders were unable to provide quotations.
COSCO Shipping Holdings stated that this transaction will help optimize the fleet structure, enhance fleet capacity, achieve long-term balanced development, and further consolidate its industry position, aligning with the Group’s globalization strategy for container shipping. The new vessels will be equipped with green power fuel technology (LNG dual-fuel engines), reflecting COSCO Shipping Holdings’ commitment to global energy conservation, emission reduction, and sustainable development strategies.
On the same day, COSCO Shipping Holdings released its first quarter report for 2026. The report showed that in the first quarter of 2026, COSCO Shipping Holdings achieved operating revenue of RMB 51.797 billion (approximately US$7.573 billion), a year-on-year decrease of 10.63%; net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company was RMB 5.877 billion (approximately US$859 million), a year-on-year decrease of 49.75%. The change in performance was mainly due to a year-on-year decline in the operating efficiency of its container shipping business.
As of the end of March 2026, COSCO Shipping Holdings operated a fleet of 598 container ships with a capacity of 3.6205 million TEUs. In the first quarter of 2026, the cargo volume of its container shipping business reached 6.9156 million TEUs, an increase of 6.70% compared to the same period last year. Currently, COSCO Shipping Holdings has ordered 70 dual-fuel container ships, of which 7 are already in operation.
It is reported that Hudong-Zhonghua has a orderbook exceeding 40 container ships with sufficient production capacity. With the official commissioning of a new 1,600-ton gantry crane, Hudong-Zhonghua’s shipbuilding capacity has been further enhanced.
The gantry crane is located in Dry Dock No. 1 at Hudong-Zhonghua’s Western Yard and is currently the shipyard’s most powerful piece of core equipment. Hudong-Zhonghua previously stated that the commissioning of the 1,600-ton gantry crane will provide a solid foundation for the construction of bulk orders, including 271,000 m³ ultra-large LNG carriers and ultra-large container ships.