TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING Builds Its Largest-Ever Methanol-Powered Container Carrier

TSUNEISHI SHIPBUILDING headquartered in Japan, has announced the successful launch of a methanol dual-fuelled container carrier at its Chinese base, TSUNEISHI GROUP (ZHOUSHAN) SHIPBUILDING INC. (TZS). The launch took place on 27 August 2025, and the vessel is expected to be delivered in February 2026.

The newly launched container carrier has a capacity of 5,900 TEU and is the largest container vessel ever constructed by the TSUNEISHI Group. It can carry up to 5,915 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers in total, both in the cargo hold and on deck.

The ship has space for up to 1,400 refrigerated (reefer) containers to address the increasing demand for temperature-sensitive cargo transport.

TSUNEISHI explained that the vessel combines an improved hull design with its proprietary energy-saving device, MT-FAST, and a large-capacity shaft generator.

Together, these technologies give the ship high fuel efficiency while maintaining top-class loading capacity. The company added that the vessel’s performance is competitive even against conventional oil-fuelled ships of the same category.

The container carrier has been designed with a long-term vision of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and working toward carbon neutrality. TSUNEISHI described it as a “final solution” concept vessel, with the ability to operate on green methanol.

Both the main engine and all onboard generators, including HD Hyundai’s HiMSEN 8H32DF-LM, can operate on methanol fuel.

Additionally, the ship is equipped with shore power compatibility, meaning the generators can be switched off when the vessel is in port. This feature is aimed at further reducing CO₂ emissions during operations.

Reference: tsuneishi group

Source: Maritime Shipping News