Maersk Orders Eight New 18,600 TEU Container Vessels to Strengthen Fleet

Maersk Orders Eight New 18,600 TEU Container Vessels to Strengthen Fleet

(IN BRIEF) Maersk has ordered eight new 18,600 TEU container vessels from New Times Shipbuilding in China, with deliveries set for 2029 and 2030, as part of its ongoing fleet renewal strategy. The 366-metre ships will be more compact than the industry’s largest vessels, offering greater deployment flexibility, and will be powered by dual-fuel engines capable of running on conventional bunker fuel or liquefied gas. Following this order, Maersk now has 33 vessels on order in total, while continuing to pursue its 2040 net-zero emissions target through investment in new ships and reduced-emission fuels.

(PRESS RELEASE) COPENHAGEN, 9-Feb-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — A.P. Moller – Maersk has placed a new shipbuilding order with New Times Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in China for eight large container vessels, marking the latest step in the company’s ongoing fleet modernisation programme. The new ships will form a uniform series of 18,600 TEU vessels, with deliveries scheduled for 2029 and 2030, reinforcing Maersk’s long-term capacity strategy and operational flexibility.

The vessels will be constructed to identical specifications, ensuring consistency across the series in terms of performance, fuel efficiency and operational characteristics. At 366 metres in length and 58.6 metres in breadth, the ships will be slightly more compact than the current generation of ultra-large container vessels, which typically measure up to 400 metres in length.

According to Maersk, the decision to order vessels of this size reflects a deliberate balance between scale and flexibility. While still classified as large container ships, their dimensions will allow them to be deployed across a wider range of trade lanes and ports compared with the largest vessels currently being built in the industry. This gives Maersk greater freedom to optimise its network both today and in the future as global trade patterns evolve.

Anda Cristescu, Head of Chartering & Newbuilding at Maersk, said the company was pleased to have concluded the agreement, describing it as an important element of Maersk’s continuous fleet renewal. She emphasised that the new vessels would help maintain the company’s competitive position by combining capacity with improved operational versatility.

Cristescu also highlighted that deployment flexibility was a central consideration in the decision-making process. She noted that, despite their size, the new ships offer more adaptable routing options than many of the largest vessels currently entering service, enabling Maersk to better respond to changing customer demand and network requirements.

Each vessel will be equipped with dual-fuel engines capable of running on conventional bunker fuel as well as liquefied gas. This aligns with Maersk’s broader decarbonisation strategy by allowing a gradual transition toward lower-emission fuels as they become more widely available at scale.

With this latest order, Maersk’s forward orderbook now stands at 33 vessels, of which four are expected to be delivered before the end of 2026. The newbuild programme forms part of the company’s commitment to modernising its fleet with more efficient and flexible ships over the coming years.

Maersk reiterated its ambition to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its entire business by 2040. To support this goal, the company is investing in new technologies, modern vessels and reduced-emission fuels, which it defines as fuels delivering at least a 65 percent reduction in lifecycle GHG emissions compared with conventional fossil fuels.