China Merchants Energy Shipping (CMES), a major player in the global shipping industry, has placed an order for ten energy-efficient tankers from Dalian Shipbuilding Industry, a fellow Chinese company. The contract, signed on August 16, 2024, includes five 306,000-ton Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) and five 115,000-ton Aframax tankers.
The VLCCs, each measuring approximately 333 meters in length with a beam of 60 meters, have been independently developed by Dalian Shipbuilding. These vessels are designed to meet the third stage of the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) requirements, reflecting their advanced environmental performance. The shipbuilder has optimized the design based on typical operating speeds and improved ship performance, incorporating an integrated design of energy-saving devices to enhance hydrodynamic efficiency and reduce energy consumption.
The Aframax tankers, tailored to meet the specific needs of CMES, will be about 243 meters long with a beam of 44 meters. These vessels will feature cutting-edge energy-efficient technology, including main engines and generators equipped with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) reactors and scrubber technology to comply with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) stringent environmental standards for nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur oxides (SOx) emissions.
The delivery of these new vessels is scheduled between 2027 and 2028.
This order marks the continuation of a long-standing partnership between Dalian Shipbuilding and CMES, which began in 2007. Over the years, Dalian Shipbuilding has secured contracts for 56 vessels from CMES, totaling approximately 12.5 million deadweight tons.
In September 2023, the two companies also signed a contract for the construction of the world’s first methanol dual-fuel VLCC, a 306,000-ton vessel set for delivery no later than April 2026.
