CMB.TECH and the Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) have signed a contract for nine ammonia-powered ships.
The newbuildings are to be delivered between 2026 and 2029.
The contract between CMB, MOL and MOL Chemical Tankers (MOLCT) provides for the construction of three Newcastlemax bulkers and six chemical tankers, which will be jointly owned by the companies. The 210,000 dwt bulkers are currently under construction at the Qingdao Beihai shipyard and are scheduled for completion between 2026 and 2027. They will then go into charter with MOL for a period of 12 years. The tankers – two of which are equipped with ammonia propulsion and four others “ammonia-ready” – have been ordered by CMB.TECH from the China Merchants Jinling shipyard in Yangzhou and will be chartered by MOLCT for seven to ten years. They are scheduled for delivery in 2028 and 2029.
The Belgians are involved in various segments via their subsidiaries Delphis (containers), Bocimar (bulk), Bochem (chemical tankers) and Windcat (offshore wind), among others. In the recent past, the CMB Group has been relatively strongly committed to the “green transformation” of the industry. Ammonia is the preferred solution– at least for large ships – when it comes to alternative propulsion systems (if these are made available).
“MOL and CMB.TECH share the same vision of decarbonizing the shipping industry, and the partnership for these nine vessels is an important milestone towards the shipping industry’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050,” said CMB Managing Director Alexander Saverys. “Thanks to this agreement, CMB.TECH increases its order backlog by $921 million (to $2.94 billion). This clearly shows that our strategy of fleet renewal, decarbonization and diversification is delivering tangible results.”
CMB.TECH was able to generate high profits last year; the tanker shipping company Euronav was also integrated into the Belgian group on October 1. The fleet currently comprises around 160 ships.
