PIL Orders Seven Methanol-Ready 1,400 TEU Boxships from Huanghai

Pacific International Lines (PIL), the Singapore-based carrier, has ordered seven 1,400 TEU container ships built methanol-ready for a potential future conversion to methanol propulsion. The order was placed with Chinese shipyard Huanghai Shipbuilding, with deliveries scheduled between 2029 and 2030.

According to PIL, the new vessels will boost its feeder capacity and its intra-Asia and Pacific Islands network as part of a fleet renewal and expansion program. The ships will measure 172 metres in length overall and 25 metres in beam, with a design aimed at maximising size within the target regional markets, enabling connections between smaller ports and major transshipment hubs.

Lars Kastrup, CEO of PIL, said the investment in these feeder vessels will strengthen the company's capabilities in its intra-Asia and Pacific Islands network, and that the ships, fitted with energy-saving technologies and a methanol-ready design, will support the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. The vessels will incorporate propulsive efficiency technologies such as pre-swirl stators and propeller boss cap fins to reduce fuel consumption, along with fire-safety systems featuring fixed water monitors and sprinklers in the cargo holds.

Sources indicate that the methanol-ready design allows owners to initially operate the vessels on conventional fuels, while retaining the option to convert them to methanol propulsion later on, as the availability and infrastructure for that fuel develop. PIL did not announce dual-fuel methanol propulsion upon delivery nor specify the scope of any future conversion, and the contract value was not disclosed.

Huanghai Shipbuilding, based in Shidao, Rongcheng, in China's Shandong province, was selected by PIL for its technical capabilities, experience and ability to meet quality, efficiency and delivery requirements. This feeder vessel order adds to PIL's investment in larger ships: in June 2026 the carrier held a joint naming ceremony at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in Shanghai for Kota Elok and Kota Elan, the first two of a series of 13 dual-fuel LNG-powered 13,000 TEU container ships intended for its Asia-South America trade.