The Japanese shipping alliance ONE is getting back on the newbuilding bandwagon and has ordered a dozen container ships with methanol propulsion technology.
ONE has ordered six dual-fuel units each with a slot capacity of 13,000 TEU from the Chinese shipyards Jiangnan Shipyard and Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, as confirmed today[ds_preview].
The newbuildings are to be delivered from 2027. “This important milestone represents ONE’s first fleet of methanol dual-fuel vessels and plays a key role in achieving the sustainable goals of the Green Strategy,” said the alliance of shipping companies NYK, MOL and K Line.
ONE says it operates a fleet of more than 230 ships in over 170 services, 140 freighters are chartered in. With a capacity of 1.8 million TEU, the carrier – previously a partner of Hapag-Lloyd in “THE Alliance” – is No. 6 in the global market, just behind the German liner shipping company. According to data from the industry service Alphaliner, ONE already had a relatively large order book of 30% of the current fleet before today’s announcement: 44 ships with 550,000 TEU.
ONE is relying in part on bow shields and air shielding
The new ships are to be equipped with state-of-the-art technologies and parameters, “such as an optimized hull shape, waste heat recovery systems and bow shields”. Some of the freighters will also be equipped with an air lubrication system and a shaft generator to explore possible improvements in fuel efficiency and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
Jeremy, CEO of ONE, commented on the announcement: “The series is critical to achieving our goal of deploying the first alternative fuel ships by 2030 and marks an important milestone in our journey towards a greener and more sustainable maritime industry.”
