Hanwha Ocean Secures 1.5 Trillion Won Order for Six Container Ships from Taiwan’s Yangming Marine

Follow-up Order Secured One Year After First Contract
Proprietary Eco-Friendly High-Manganese Steel Technology Applied

Hanwha Ocean has secured an order worth approximately 1.5527 trillion won to build six container ships for Yangming Marine Transport Corporation of Taiwan.

Kim Hee-chul, CEO of Hanwha Ocean (third from right), and Cai Fengming, Chairman of Yangming Marine Transport (fourth from right), along with other company officials, are posing for a commemorative photo after completing the contract signing ceremony in Taiwan. Hanwha Ocean

On September 3, Hanwha Ocean announced that it had won an order from Yangming Marine Transport Corporation of Taiwan to construct six 13,650 TEU LNG dual-fuel container ships for about 1.5527 trillion won.

These vessels will be constructed at Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje Shipyard and are scheduled for sequential delivery by the second half of 2029.

This latest order comes exactly one year after Yangming Marine Transport Corporation placed an order with Hanwha Ocean for seven 15,880 TEU LNG dual-fuel container ships in September of last year, marking the companies’ first newbuild contract. This is a follow-up order reflecting the continued partnership.

The newly ordered ships will be equipped with Hanwha Ocean’s independently developed “high-manganese steel-based Type-B LNG fuel tanks.” High-manganese steel offers greater price competitiveness compared to nickel alloy steel or aluminum, while maintaining impact toughness and strength even at cryogenic temperatures of minus 163 degrees Celsius. According to the company, this technology will enhance both the safety and the cost-effectiveness of LNG fuel tanks.

The vessels will also utilize the latest hull optimization technology. This approach is expected to improve fuel efficiency, operational efficiency, and cargo-loading performance, thereby reducing operational costs such as fuel expenses for the shipowner, and at the same time ensuring the ships are designed to meet increasingly stringent environmental regulations.

The global container ship market is shifting its focus from large-scale fleet expansion to the replacement of aging vessels and the adoption of eco-friendly fleets. As the International Maritime Organization (IMO) intensifies environmental regulations, it is becoming increasingly likely that new orders will be placed with shipyards that possess advanced environmentally friendly technologies and construction capabilities.

Kim Heecheol, CEO of Hanwha Ocean, said, "Confidence in Hanwha Ocean's design, production capabilities, and project execution—demonstrated through our first project—has led to this large-scale follow-up order just one year later. We will continue to enhance our differentiated eco-friendly technologies and competitiveness in quality so that our collaboration with Yangming Marine Transport Corporation can develop into a long-term partnership."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.