Chinese yard cuts first steel for future LNG-powered containership for MSC

China's Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard has cut the first steel to be used in the construction of a new container vessel ordered by MSC.

The ship belongs to a new series of container vessels designed jointly by Zhoushan Changhong International and CIMC Ocean Engineering Design and Research Institute. Upon completion, it will be one of the largest containerships that can enter the Black Sea via the Turkish straits of the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus.

The DNV-classed vessel will have an LOA of 299.95 metres, a beam of 45.6 metres, a draught of 17.5 metres, a capacity of 10,000 TEUs, and a service speed of 20 knots. The design will adopt a double-island layout.

Power will be provided by an IMO Tier III dual-fuel engine that can also run on LNG. The resulting cruising range in both LNG mode and conventional fuel mode will enable the ship to sail one-way on China-Europe and China-US routes.