Fuel demand from international ship orders has surged 10.3% to 64.2 million tons, with LNG vessels gaining significant market share.
The annual fuel demand projected from international ship orders in the future has increased by 10.3% over the past three months, reaching 64.2 million tons of oil equivalent. While traditional oil-based fuels continue to dominate new ship orders, the share of LNG-fueled vessels has grown. Despite an increase in the total number of vessels capable of using methanol, a decline has been recorded in the projected fuel consumption of these vessels.
According to an analysis published by Ship & Bunker on October 13, 2026, based on data from Clarksons Research, the number of ships in the global order book has risen by approximately 650 since July, reaching a total of 7,305.
The annual fuel demand reaches 64.2 million tons.
The research indicates that at the beginning of July, the annual fuel requirement for ships in the order book was at the level of 58.2 million tons of oil equivalent. By the beginning of October, this figure increased to 64.2 million tons.
The calculations utilized ship order data from Clarksons Research and fuel consumption records from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for the year 2025.
The data reflects the annual fuel demand that the ordered ships could generate after their delivery.
Traditional marine fuels in the lead.
The largest portion of the fuel requirement for ships in the order book is comprised of traditional oil-based marine fuels.
The annual fuel demand for these vessels has risen by 11.1% compared to July, reaching 40.2 million tons.
The annual fuel demand for LNG-capable vessels has also increased by 12.3%, reaching 16.9 million tons of oil equivalent.
The demand calculated for vessels using alternative fuels other than methanol has risen by 8.6%, reaching 3.4 million tons of oil equivalent.
Methanol's share in orders has declined.
One of the notable findings of the research was observed in methanol-fueled vessels.
Although the number of ordered vessels capable of using methanol increased from 264 to 274, the projected annual fuel demand for these vessels decreased by approximately 3.5%, dropping to 3.8 million tons of oil equivalent.
As a result, methanol's share of the total fuel demand in the order book fell from 6.7% to 5.9%.
The analysis indicated that this decline is linked to larger vessels exiting the order book being replaced by smaller vessels with lower fuel consumption.
Increase in LNG-fueled container ships.
Container ships constitute the largest portion of fuel demand in new ship orders.
The number of LNG-capable container ships has increased from 470 in July to 531.
During the same period, the number of methanol-capable container ships decreased from 129 to 113.
The number of container ships operating on traditional fuels has risen from 1,054 to 1,221.
The number of methanol-capable tankers has also dropped from 27 to 24. In contrast, the number of methanol-capable bulk carriers increased from 49 to 65, while the number of general cargo ships rose from 1 to 17.
The highest fuel demand comes from container ships.
In calculations based on the types of vessels, container ships ranked first with an annual fuel demand of 26.7 million tons. This figure was at 23.7 million tons in July.
Following container ships, tankers demanded 13.6 million tons, and bulk carriers demanded 10.6 million tons.
There are 7,305 ships in the order book.
According to Clarksons Research data, as of the beginning of October, there are a total of 7,305 ships in the global order book.
Of these, 1,186 are designed to be capable of using LNG, while 274 are designed for methanol use.
Ship & Bunker emphasized that the calculations are based on the technical capabilities with which the ships are built to use certain fuels, rather than the actual fuels they will use.
Therefore, it was noted that if dual-fuel ships continue to operate with traditional fuels after their delivery, the actual demand for alternative fuels may be lower than the calculated amounts.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
