Singapore-headquartered container carrier Ocean Network Express (ONE) has signed ship building contracts with two Chinese shipyards for the construction of 12 methanol dual-fuel container ships.

The company said in a press statement that Jiangnan Shipyard and Yangzijiang Shipbuilding will each build six 13,000 TEU methanol dual-fuel container ships.

The ships are scheduled to be delivered from 2027, the statement said, adding that the ONE’s inaugural fleet of methanol-dual fuel vessels will play a key role achieving the world’s sixth largest container carrier’s Green Strategy.

The statement also noted that these vessels will include state of the art technologies such as optimised hull form, waste heat recovery systems and bow windshield Maersk announces first container vessel conversion to methanol dual-fuel enginewhile select vessels will also be equipped with an air lubrication system and shaft generator to help with exploring potential enhancements in fuel efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

ONE’s CEO Jeremy Nixon said: “Our decision to invest in methanol-dual fuel vessels aligns with ONE’s Green Strategy as part of our key initiatives. Upcoming new fleet is pivotal in achieving our goal of deploying the first alternative fuel ships by 2030 and marks a significant milestone in our journey towards a greener and more sustainable maritime industry.”

ONE Green Strategy has an ambitious target to achieve net-zero GHG emissions, encompassing Scope 2 and 3, by 2050.

ONE was established in July 2017 following the liner service integrations of Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K LINE), Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK) with

regional headquarters in Hong Kong, Singapore, the UK, the US and Brazil with a fleet size of approximately 1.8 million TEU.

ONE is a member of THE Alliance (THEA), a global ocean carrier consortium.
Source: Reuters (Writing by Dennis Daniel; Editing by Anoop Menon)