COSCO has confirmed a major containership ordering spree, lining up 18 newbuildings worth about $2.7bn as China’s state-run shipping group adds both scale and fuel optionality to its fleet.
In regulatory filings, COSCO said it has ordered twelve 18,000 teu LNG dual-fuel containerships at CSSC’s Jiangnan Shipyard, alongside six 3,000 teu conventionally powered vessels at COSCO Zhoushan Shipyard.
The twelve LNG-capable ships are priced at just under RMB1.4bn apiece, or around $200.75m per vessel, putting the total contract value at RMB16.8bn. Deliveries are scheduled across 2028 and 2029.
The order marks COSCO’s first move into LNG as an alternative marine fuel. Until now, the group has focused on methanol alongside conventional propulsion.
According to Alphaliner, the vessels are based on Jiangnan’s in-house 18,000 teu LNG design. The yard already has a dozen ships of the same design on order from COSCO’s Ocean Alliance partner CMA CGM, also due for delivery in 2028 and 2029. Jiangnan has a long track record with COSCO, having previously delivered 5,100 teu, 4,700 teu and 21,000 teu container ships to the group.
Alongside the LNG order, COSCO has also signed contracts for six 3,000 teu container vessels at COSCO Zhoushan Shipyard. Each ship is priced at just under RMB330m, or about $47.3m, with deliveries expected from mid-2028 through the end of the year.
Including sister brand OOCL, COSCO ranks as the world’s fourth-largest container line behind MSC, Maersk and CMA CGM. The group operates a fleet of around 550 ships with a capacity of about 3.59m teu. Before the latest orders, COSCO had 106 vessels totalling roughly 1.38m teu on order, according to Alphaliner data.
