Wallenius Wilhelmsen Orders Up to 12 Car Carriers in China

Wallenius Wilhelmsen, the Oslo-listed Norwegian shipping line, signed an agreement to build up to 12 pure car and truck carriers (PCTC) in China, with deliveries scheduled through 2032.

The agreement covers four firm dual-fuel LNG vessels plus options for eight more, raising the company's total fleet renewal program to 26 units when counting previously existing options. According to Splash 247, the new vessels would include six units of 9,300 ceu and eight larger carriers with a nominal capacity of 11,700 ceu, while Seatrade Maritime reports that the ships in the latest order, belonging to the Shaper class, will have a capacity of 9,900 ceu each.

The expanded program is backed by a private equity placement of NOK 2,880 million (USD 300 million), completed on October 6 through the issuance of 17.145 million shares at NOK 168 each. If all options are exercised, the total investment for the new order could reach around USD 1,500 million.

The vessels will be built at the Jinling shipyard (Jiangsu), part of China Merchants Jinling, where Wallenius Wilhelmsen had already contracted 14 Shaper-class vessels. Deliveries of the firm units will begin in mid-2030, while the options are structured to add four additional vessels in 2031 and another four in 2032.

Xavier Leroi, Chief Operating Officer of Shipping Services at Wallenius Wilhelmsen, stated that the company seeks to secure the capacity and flexibility needed to support its customers over the coming decades, and that the expanded program reflects confidence in the long-term fundamentals of the deep-sea ro-ro market. The company currently operates around 127 vessels across 15 global trade routes.