Containerships lead the global shift to alternative fuels
The most advanced segment in maritime decarbonisation
Containerships are no longer waiting for the future of alternative fuels; they are building it today. According to the latest live data from the DNV Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform, more than half of the global containership orderbook is already capable of running on fuels other than conventional oil.
- 52.3% of the orderbook by gross tonnage
- 46.8% by number of vessels
- 1,145 vessels (either in service or under construction) out of a total containership population of ~6,350
No other shipping segment comes close.
Fuel Breakdown: LNG still king, methanol rising fast
| Fuel | In service | On order | Total | Share of orderbook (by GT) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LNG | 298 | 489 | 787 | 36.1% |
| Methanol | 31 | 294 | 325 | 14.8% |
| LPG | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0.4% |
| Ammonia-ready | 0 | 23 | 23 | 1.0% |
| Hydrogen-ready | 0 | 1 | 1 | <0.1% |
| Total alt-fuel | 338 | 807 | 1,145 | 52.3% |
Key takeaways directly from the platform:
- Almost every new ultra-large containership (18,000–24,000+ TEU) ordered today is LNG-capable.
- 94% of the entire global methanol orderbook belongs to containerships, the segment has effectively “chosen” methanol as its second fuel.
- The first ammonia-ready containerships (23 units) are already in the pipeline, mainly for Hapag-Lloyd and HMM.
The challenges are real and visible in the numbers
Alternative fuels do not come without cost:
- Cargo capacity loss: LNG vessels typically sacrifice 1,200–2,000 TEU for fuel tanks; methanol designs can lose up to 2,500 TEU on the largest ships.
- Concentration risk: Just ten liner companies (Maersk, MSC, CMA CGM, COSCO, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, Evergreen, HMM, Yang Ming, ZIM) control 92% of all alternative-fuel containerships.
- Bunkering bottleneck: 78% of the world’s LNG containerships depend on only 30 ports for fuel supply. Methanol is currently available in fewer than 15 ports globally.
The opportunities are even clearer
The same data that highlight the challenges also reveal why the industry remains optimistic:
- Unmatched readiness: More than half of all containerships scheduled for delivery 2025–2028 can already run on alternative fuels. When green molecules become widely available, the switch can happen almost overnight.
- Fuel flexibility is growing: Many new 13,000–16,000 TEU vessels are built as both LNG-ready and methanol-ready, giving owners maximum optionality.
- Proven market demand: The explosion of methanol orders, from just 8 vessels in 2021 to 294 today, shows that cargo owners are willing to pay green premiums to secure space on these ships.
Containerships are not following, they are driving
With 52.3% of their orderbook already alternative-fuel capable, containerships have become the most mature and best-prepared segment for maritime decarbonisation. The challenges of tank space and bunkering infrastructure remain significant, but the direction is irreversible.
The numbers from DNV AFI speak for themselves: the container shipping industry has placed its bet, and it is all-in on the energy transition.
The post Containerships lead the global shift to alternative fuels appeared first on Container News.
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