Wallenius Wilhelmsen has declared an option for two additional 11,700CEU vessels at China Merchants Jingling Shipyard (Jiangsu). The two declared options are part of the four previously announced outstanding options.
Delivery is scheduled for the second half of 2028. As part of the agreement, Wallenius Wilhelmsen will continue to hold options for two more vessels declarable by H2 2025.
Wallenius Wilhelmsen also intends to upsize two additional vessels from 9,300 CEU to 11,700 CEU capacity, bringing the total of upsized vessels to eight.
The cost of the two optional vessels and the upsizing of the two of the vessels on order will be in line with the previous order of vessels from the same series.
Following this recent announcement, Wallenius Wilhelmsen will have a total of 14 Shaper-class vessels on order: eight 11,700CEU vessels and six 9,300CEU vessels.
The vessels will be the ocean element of the integrated net-zero service Wallenius Wilhelmsen will offer to its customers beginning in 2027. This end-to-end offering will include all stages of finished vehicles’ transport from the factory to the end consumer. The company also plans to utilise its broad land-based logistics and transport network to achieve this goal.
The four upsized vessels will share many of the integral design features of their parent class such as dual-fuel engines that are methanol-capable from delivery, improved ramp strength, significant high and heavy capacity, and features that ensure energy efficiency, safety and crew welfare.