Singapore’s Pacific International Lines orders five more LNG dual-fuel ships

Singapore-headquartered Pacific International Lines recently ordered five 9,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container ships as part of its fleet renewal program, taking the company's newbuild ships ordered since 2022 to 18, according to a company statement Nov. 5.

"Our aim is to replace up to half our fleet in the next decade with modern new ships and charters," PIL CEO Lars Kastrup said.

These ships are a significant step towards our green shipping goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, while increasing operational and cost efficiencies, improving services to our customers as well as enhancing the welfare of our crew," he said.

The five newbuilds will be constructed by Hudong-Zhonghua with delivery expected in 2027 and 2028 and will be designed with "highly optimized cargo stowage features" to enhance PIL's service capabilities, PIL said.

In addition to being LNG powered, the ships will have the capability to transition by running on bio-methane, among the lowest emission fuels presently available to the shipping industry, it said.

The latest order comes after PIL ordered in August five LNG dual-fuel container ships with 13,000 TEU capacity from Hudong-Zhonghua.

"Similar to the earlier orders, these new vessels will also be equipped with the latest in digital technologies. These include Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) for real-time monitoring and automation of various tasks," it said.

The ships will fully comply with the International Maritime Organization's Energy Efficiency Design Index for newbuilds and the Carbon Intensity Indicator, PIL said.

They will also feature energy-saving features such as a streamlined hull-form, variable-frequency drive motors, shaft generators, lower-energy LED lightings as well as superior hull coatings, it added.

Green shipping

In October, PIL named its first two 14,000 TEU container vessels -- Kota Eagle and Kota Emerald -- in a ceremony at Jiangnan Shipyard, marking the largest vessels in PIL's fleet as well as the first to fully run on LNG.

According to PIL's third Sustainability Report released in October, PIL aims to achieve 20% and 70% reduction in GHG emissions by 2030 and 2040, respectively, in comparison to the 2010 baseline, and is targeting to reach net zero GHG emissions by 2050 on a well-to-wake basis.

Its three key levers in the decarbonization strategy include enhancing fleet operations efficiency, harnessing energy efficiency technologies as well as investing in green fuels and fleet transition.

In the absence of reasonable availability of other alternative fuels such as green methanol and green or blue ammonia, LNG remains the most pragmatic transition fuel, reducing GHG and air pollutants over conventional fuel oil, PIL said in the report.

"More crucially, such LNG dual-fuel assets will provide a pathway to the utilization of low-emission renewable natural gas or synthetic natural gas," it said.

"We will continue exploring other fuel types and new-build configurations to stay at the forefront of sustainable shipping while remaining mindful of the consequences of stranded assets arising from choosing unsuitable fuel types," it added.

Among other sustainable shipping initiatives, in 2023, PIL also committed to two separate agreements with PSA Singapore and DP World, respectively, for conducting trials on green shipping corridors using lower carbon transportation and port handling alternative options compared to current modes.