Hengli Heavy Industry Lands 52 LNG Dual-Fuel Mega Container Ships Worth Over $11 Billion

Hengli Heavy Industry announced it has reached building agreements with a number of internationally known container lines for a total of 52 ultra-large LNG dual-fuel container ships, spanning 20 ships of 19,000 TEU, 12 of 22,000 TEU and 20 of 24,000 TEU, according to a Dalian Daily report carried by the city government on October 24. Chinese shipping media put the package's value at more than $11 billion, or about 73.5 billion yuan. Every ship in the program uses Hengli's own LNG dual-fuel main engines and fuel tanks, the yard's signature vertical-integration play.

The anchor customers are believed to be the world's two biggest lines. MSC is reported to have ordered 20 of the 24,000 TEU ships for about $4.6 billion, its third Hengli order this year after 22 ships of 22,000 TEU placed in June and July, with Clarksons data showing the latest 20 were signed on September 1 and 15 deliver in 2029 and five in 2030. Maersk, which confirmed 26 ships of 18,600 TEU in September, has assigned 20 of them to Hengli at unit prices of roughly $193-195 million, about $3.9 billion in total, for delivery from late 2029 through 2030.

The order underscores how decisively ultra-large container work has shifted to Chinese yards. Alphaliner data cited in the reports show Chinese yards took more than 80 percent of global container-ship orders in the first half of 2026 while Korean yards' share fell to 10-15 percent, and Korean yards have been effectively shut out of the 22,000 TEU-plus segment. MSC's orderbook now stands at 183 ships or 3.38 million TEU, about 45 percent of its existing fleet, and Maersk is still weighing up to 24 more LNG dual-fuel 24,000 TEU ships, keeping newbuilding price pressure firmly on the side of yards.