The booming market for new PCTCs (pure car and track carrier) this year has seen yet another order. Global Car Carriers (GCC), a Norwegian car carrier operator owned by Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC)—the world’s largest shipping line—has once again placed an order with a Chinese shipyard for two PCTCs.
Based on the fleet list on Global Car Carriers’ official website, the shipowner has placed an order with Chinese shipbuilder Zhoushan Changhong International for two 8,600 CEU PCTCs, designated as Viking NB 21 and Viking NB 22, which are expected to be delivered in 2030.
It is worth noting that this marks the first time Zhoushan Changhong International has secured a contract to build a new car carrier, signaling the shipyard’s official entry into the high-value-added car carrier market. The shipbuilder’s previous main products have included container ships, bulk carriers, oil tankers, and chemical tankers.
With the addition of the latest orders, Global Car Carriers’ total PCTC order book has increased to 22 vessels, comprising 18 8,600 CEU PCTCs and 4 7,000 CEU PCTCs, all equipped with liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel propulsion systems. Delivery is scheduled for 2028 (4 vessels), 2029 (9 vessels), and 2030 (9 vessels), respectively. Both vessel types were designed by the Shanghai Ship Research and Design Institute (SDARI).
The 22 new vessels have been awarded to five Chinese shipbuilders, specifically: China Merchants Industry Weihai Shipyard, which will build 6 8,600-CEU PCTCs and 2 7,000-CEU PCTCs, scheduled for delivery between 2028 and 2030; China Merchants Shipbuilding Jinling Shipyard, which will build 6 8,600-CEU PCTCs, scheduled for delivery between 2028 and 2029; Guangzhou Shipyard International will build 2 8,600-CEU PCTCs and 2 7,000-CEU PCTCs, scheduled for delivery between 2028 and 2029; Mawei Shipyard will build 2 8,600-CEU PCTCs, scheduled for delivery in 2030; and Zhoushan Changhong International will build 2 8,600-CEU PCTCs, scheduled for delivery in 2030.
According to information on its official website, Global Car Carriers is the world’s third-largest PCTC shipowner and currently operates 21 PCTCs, with capacities ranging from 2,000 to 7,000 vehicles. Global Car Carriers, formerly known as Gram Car Carriers, was acquired by MSC in 2024 for $700 million and subsequently renamed (though its abbreviation remains unchanged).
Zhoushan Changhong International, with which Global Car Carriers recently placed an order, is one of the world’s largest shipbuilding partners of its parent company, MSC. Since late 2022, MSC and Zhoushan Changhong International have signed contracts for the construction of nearly 50 container ships (including options), ranging in capacity from 10,300 TEU to 21,700 TEU, with delivery dates scheduled through 2029; several new vessels have already been delivered.
As one of China’s leading private shipbuilding companies, Zhoushan Changhong International was established in 2009 with investment from the Jiangsu New Yangtze Industrial Group. It currently operates three major shipbuilding and repair industrial bases in Dinghai District, Putuo District, and Daishan County of Zhoushan City, and is a large-scale shipbuilding enterprise with a full industrial chain that integrates shipbuilding, ship repair, shipbreaking, and metal resource utilization; The three bases cover a total area of more than 6.5 million square meters, with a total shoreline length of over 20,000 meters. The company has an annual shipbuilding capacity exceeding 5 million deadweight tons and an annual ship repair capacity of more than 500 vessels.