Alternative fuel newbuildings, designed to bring carriers to their net zero decarbonisation targets over the next two decades, have comprised 72% of orders so far this year, with pure conventional fuel tonnage well on the way to being phased out among the larger ship sizes.
The percentage of these orders, however, has fallen for the second consecutive year, demonstrating the challenge carriers face in sourcing new-age fuels, which has led to a partial cooling of enthusiasm and the renewed domination of what was once regarded as an interim solution, LNG fuel propulsion.
In the first ten months of this year, dual-fuel LNG propulsion represented the majority of capacity ordered, at 60%, down slightly from the 63% seen in 2024.
Meanwhile, after comprising nearly half of all container ship orders in 2023, dual-fuel methanol orders declined again, dropping from 18% of orders in 2024 to just 12% so far in 2025. Carriers continue to pivot away from the former favourite out of concern for fuel availability.
This lost methanol ‘market share’ has been picked up not by LNG orders but by conventionally-fuelled units, which have risen to 28% of capacity ordered this year versus 19% in 2024, mainly among the size classes up to 7,500 teu. This segment has experienced an order surge recently, particularly sub 6,000 teu.
Source: Alphaliner
