Group orders smaller dual-fuel vessels from China, targeting greater deployment flexibility than its largest container ships offer
Shipping giant Maersk says it is building more flexibility into its fleet with the purchase of eight large vessels from China-based New Times Shipbuilding, for delivery in 2029 and 2030.
All eight ships will have the same characteristics and make up a new series of 18,600-TEU vessels, it said.
“We are pleased to have signed this agreement for eight large vessels,” said Anda Cristescu, the group’s head of chartering and newbuilding. “The order is part of our ongoing fleet renewal and helps maintain our fleet’s competitive edge.”
Each vessel will be 366m long and 58.6m wide, so more compact than the current maximum container vessel length of 400m.
The ships will be equipped with dual-fuel engines that can operate on conventional bunker fuel or liquified gas.
“Deployment flexibility has been a key factor in our decision-making,” explained Cristescu. “Although these vessels are large, they offer greater flexibility than the largest ships currently being built in our industry. This provides us with multiple deployment options across both our current and future network.”
The new order brings to a total of 33 vessels that Maersk has on order, with four scheduled for delivery later this year.
Late last week, Maersk released its Q4 and full-year figures and reported a strong performance in 2025.
Full-year revenue was around US$54bn, with Ebitda of US$9.5bn and Ebit at US$3.5bn, on the back of volume growth and cost-cutting measures that drove results to the top end of its financial guidance.
