AP Moller-Maersk has ordered 20 neo-panamax container ships as part of its tilt to gas.
The vessels, with a total capacity of 300,000 teu, will be built at three shipyards for delivery between 2028 and 2030.
Two ships of 9,000 teu and six of 17,000 teu have been ordered at Yangzijiang Shipbuilding in China.
Hanwha Ocean in South Korea and New Times Shipbuilding in China will each build six 15,000-teu ships.
All the ships will be equipped with liquefied gas dual-fuel propulsion systems.
Anda Cristescu, Maersk head of chartering & newbuilding, said: “These orders are a part of our ongoing fleet renewal programme and in line with our commitment to decarbonisation, as all the vessels will have dual-fuel engines with the intent to operate them on lower-emissions fuel.
“Due to their different sizes, the vessels will be able to fill many roles and functions within our future network and give us a lot of deployment flexibility when they are ready to enter our fleet.
“Once phased in, they will replace existing capacity in our fleet.”
Maersk said the 20 owned ships will complement its chartered fleet.
It said the orders conclude the plan unveiled in August to charter a range of methanol and LNG dual-fuel vessels totalling 500,000 teu capacity.
The Danish liner company said it has now confirmed those charter contracts across several tonnage providers.
When phased in, the charter vessels will replace existing capacity.
The latest newbuilding orders had been flagged by TradeWinds in recent months.
Although financial details of the order have not been released, TradeWinds reported in October that Maersk and its future alliance partner Hapag-Lloyd were lining up LNG dual-fuel neo-panamax boxships worth more than $5.8bn at Yangzijiang Shipbuilding alone.
