China's Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding has begun construction on the first ship in a new series of 9,000TEU container vessels ordered by Singapore-based shipping company Pacific International Lines (PIL).
The completed ship will have an LOA of approximately 274 metres, a beam of 45.6 metres, a depth of 24.8 metres, and a range of 13,000 nautical miles. Up to 1,308 refrigerated containers can be carried on board.
The vessel will be powered by a dual-fuel propulsion system that can also run on LNG. The LNG fuel will be supplied by a tank with a capacity of 7,600 cubic metres.
The bow will feature a wind deflector to further reduce surface resistance. The ship itself will utilise AI and internet of things for real-time monitoring and automation of various tasks as well as improved route planning and cargo management.
All five 9,000TEU ships in the series are scheduled to be handed over to PIL between 2027 and 2028.
