Wan Hai Lines has secured a $500 million deal for six dual-fuel LNG ships, expanding its fleet and reinforcing LNG as a preferred fuel.
Taiwan's Wan Hai Lines has approved a deal worth nearly $500 million for six 6,000-TEU dual-fuel LNG-powered containerships, according to reports from London's S&P Global.
The ships will be constructed by China's CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding, with prices ranging from $75.2 million to $82 million each. This brings the total contract value to between $451.2 million and $492 million, as stated in a Taiwan stock exchange filing.
This order increases Wan Hai's total fleet to 36 ships scheduled for delivery between 2026 and 2030, boosting its owned fleet to 150 vessels with a combined capacity of 927,250 TEU. Among these, twelve 16,000-TEU ships expected in 2027 and 2028 will be the largest in its fleet.
While Wan Hai has not disclosed specific deployment plans for the new 6,000-TEU ships, they are likely to join the existing 600-series vessels that serve Asia and the Indian subcontinent. This deal underscores LNG as the fuel of choice, with LNG-powered ships on order now totaling nearly 4.2 million TEU, which is double the methanol-fueled orderbook.
Additionally, Wan Hai approved a $96 million lease with Yokohama-Kawasaki International Port for the Honmoku-futo D-4 Container Terminal in Japan. The 20-year lease will commence once CMA CGM vacates the site in October next year. The D4 facility features a quay length of 1,312 feet, three ship-to-shore cranes, and an annual handling capacity of 550,000 TEU.
Furthermore, Wan Hai announced plans to launch a second transpacific service with Ocean Network Express (ONE) in April or May 2026. The Asia-Pacific 2 loop will connect Qingdao, Ningbo, Los Angeles, and Oakland, providing faster and more reliable transport between Asia and the US West Coast.
