AP Moller-Maersk has exercised four options that will boost its orders of 16,000-teu methanol dual-fuel vessels to 12 ships.
A spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that we have declared our options with Hyundai Heavy Industries ... for four additional large container vessels able to operate on carbon-neutral methanol.
"The vessels will be delivered in 2025, following delivery of eight similar vessels ordered on August 24, 2021."
"The four vessels will replace a similar amount of existing Maersk fleet capacity which is reaching end-of-life.
"Once fully phased in, the 12 vessels will generate total annual CO2 emissions savings of 1.5m tonnes, or 4.5% of total Maersk fleet emissions, and offer Maersk customers truly carbon-neutral transportation at scale on the high seas. Capex [capital expenditure] for the four vessels is included in current Maersk guidance for 2021-22."
The Maersk contracts are part of a nine-ship order haul announced by Hyundai Group yards holding company Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co (KSOE) today.
KSOE said it had secured orders for eight container ship newbuildings and one LNG carrier worth KRW 1.33 trillion ($1.1bn) in total.
Mystery Asian buyer
Aside from the Maersk quartet, which TradeWinds reported on Thursday would be declared this month, KSOE said it had won contracts for four 2,500-teu feeder containerships and one LNG carrier.
The names of the shipping companies were not disclosed, but KSOE said the newbuildings were booked by three separate owners from Europe and Latin America.
Shipbuilding sources said an Asian company is behind the four 2,500-teu feeder boxship order and indicated that Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) will be constructing these vessels. Full details of the business have yet to emerge.
The 174,000-cbm LNG carrier has been linked to NYK Line.
TradeWinds reported on 4 January that the Japanese shipowner would be confirming an order at the shipyard that has been contracted on the back of term business with EDF Energy. But the deal is understood to have been signed at the close of 2021.
The new contracts announced today bring the total volume of newbuildings KSOE has secured for 2022 to $2.49bn, or 14% of its total sales target for this year.
A unit of Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings, KSOE controls HHI, Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries and HMD.
The group has set an order target of $17.4bn for 2022. That is 17% higher than last year's $14.9bn target. It secured $22.8bn worth of orders in 2021, exceeding its annual target by about 53%.
Last week, KSOE started the year with orders for 10 newbuildings worth $1.39bn. It was reported to have signed contracts for six LNG-fuelled, 15,000-teu container ships to be delivered from the first half of 2024 with Mediterranean Shipping Co; three 1,800-teu feeder vessels with Capital Maritime & Trading; and an LNG carrier with SK Shipping.
