Hengli Heavy Industries Signs Contracts for 52 LNG-Powered Containerships

Chinese shipyard Hengli Heavy Industries, based in Dalian, has closed newbuilding agreements with various carriers for 52 dual-fuel LNG-powered containerships. According to the official announcement of October 23, 2026, the package comprises 20 vessels of 19,000 TEU, 12 of 22,000 TEU and 20 of 24,000 TEU, with a combined nominal capacity of 1.124 million TEU.

The shipyard did not identify the buyers nor disclose contract values or delivery schedules. Market reports linking MSC and Maersk to projects at Hengli partially coincide with the composition of the announced fleet, although neither carrier was confirmed as a buyer within this package of 52 vessels.

The twenty 24,000 TEU vessels drew attention due to earlier reports on MSC's investment at Hengli. Linerlytica's report of October 20 indicated that MSC had placed an additional order for twenty vessels of that size, while TradeWinds reported on October 22 that the carrier's latest agreement included ten newbuildings and upgrades to ten existing orders, for an estimated investment of around $2.5 billion.

Maersk was also mentioned in earlier reports. In September it was reported that the Danish carrier was in talks with Hengli for up to 24 containerships of around 19,000 TEU, while later reports mentioned 20 vessels of approximately 18,600 TEU. These figures overlap with the newly announced tranche of twenty 19,000 TEU vessels, although differences in capacity and the lack of an identified customer make it impossible to confirm the match.

The background to this relationship dates back to August 23, 2024, when Hengli and MSC signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement in Geneva covering newbuildings, engines, repairs and retrofits. On October 16, the shipyard launched the first two dual-fuel LNG-powered 21,000 TEU containerships built for MSC, with a length overall of 380 meters and a beam of 58.6 meters, fitted with in-house-built engines and a 13,000 cubic meter Type C fuel tank; two sister vessels were being built at an adjacent dry dock. According to Hengli, the 52 vessels in the new package will use in-house-built engines and LNG tanks, in a design aimed at reducing carbon emissions per container and complying with international environmental regulations.

The Liaoning Daily reported on October 17 that Hengli has begun construction of more than 200 vessels since its founding and that its orderbook extends through 2030. The announcement comes amid an expansion of the global containership orderbook, which, according to Linerlytica, reached around 16.2 million TEU on October 20, equivalent to 46.5% of the existing fleet, the highest proportion since 2009.