Maersk completes 300,000-TEU dual-fuel fleet renewal order

Maersk has completed the owned-newbuilding element of its latest fleet-renewal plan by signing agreements for 20 new container vessels with three shipyards. The ships will provide a combined 300,000 TEU of capacity and are due to be delivered between 2028 and 2030. This article is independently written from the cited factual information published by A.P. Moller–Maersk in its 2 December 2024 report. [1]

The order gives Maersk a broad spread of ship sizes rather than a single standard design. Individual vessels will range from 9,000 to 17,000 TEU. The company says that variation is intended to provide flexibility for different roles in its future network as the new ships enter service.

All 20 vessels will use liquefied-gas dual-fuel propulsion systems. The choice places the order within Maersk's stated fleet-renewal and decarbonisation work, while the source makes clear that the ships are intended to replace existing capacity as they are phased into the fleet.

A mixed order for network flexibility

The shipyard allocation recorded by Maersk shows how the programme is divided. Yangzijiang Shipbuilding in China is to build two 9,000-TEU ships and six 17,000-TEU ships. Hanwha Ocean in South Korea and New Times Shipbuilding in China will each build six 15,000-TEU vessels. Together, those allocations account for all 20 ships and the full 300,000-TEU total. [1]

The order therefore combines smaller units with larger vessels suited to high-volume services. The factual significance is not simply the headline capacity. It is the range of tonnage that Maersk will have available when deliveries begin, allowing the company to phase ships into different parts of its network rather than treating the renewal as one uniform replacement exercise.

The first deliveries are scheduled for 2028, with the final ships due in 2030. That timetable gives the programme a multi-year shape. It also means that the operational effect will emerge progressively, as new vessels enter the fleet and existing capacity is replaced.

The December agreement follows the fleet-renewal plan Maersk announced in August 2024. The source says the owned newbuilding orders complete the intended 300,000-TEU acquisition. The same August update also referred to chartered methanol and liquefied-gas dual-fuel vessels totalling 500,000 TEU, with those contracts subsequently finalised across several tonnage providers. [1]

What the order records

For the archive, the order marks a defined point in Maersk's renewal programme: the company had moved from announcing an intended owned-newbuilding element to confirming the 20-vessel package. The fleet will not arrive at once, and the source does not state individual ship names or routes. It does establish the capacity, propulsion type, size range, builders and delivery window.

That combination makes the announcement significant as a fleet-planning record. It links 300,000 TEU of new owned capacity with dual-fuel technology and a delivery schedule extending from 2028 to 2030. It also shows that the renewal is being organised around different vessel sizes, a detail that will matter when the ships are assigned to services.

Maersk's announcement is the source for all factual claims in this independently written report. No photographs, logos or other branded assets are reproduced, because the supplied research packet confirms no reuse licence for them.

[1]: https://www.maersk.com/news/articles/2024/12/02/maersk-completes-order-of-20-dual-fuel-vessels