A new HMM containership order covers eight LNG dual-fuel vessels of 13,000 TEU each, with HD Hyundai securing the construction contract for approximately KRW1.9196 trillion. The agreement was announced on 20 October 2026.
HD Hyundai Samho will construct six vessels in Yeongam, and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will build the remaining pair in Ulsan. HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the group’s shipbuilding holding company, announced the deal with HMM.
Each vessel will be 337 metres long, with a beam of 51 metres and a height of 27.9 metres. The engines will be able to use either LNG or conventional fuel. The shipbuilder’s announcement also identifies HD Hyundai Ecovina as the supplier of independent LNG fuel tanks.
The ships are intended for HMM‘s Far East–India–Mediterranean service. The carrier has also agreed a separate purchase of four feeder ships to serve regional routes within its hub-and-spoke network.
HMM‘s fleet expansion strategy aims for a fleet of roughly 1.5 million TEU. The Maritime Executive, citing Alphaliner, reported an existing fleet of 97 ships with capacity of 1.034 million TEU. That fleet consists of 72 owned ships and 25 chartered vessels. The report also put HMM‘s spending on vessels, logistics infrastructure and future technologies during 2026 at about $4.5 billion.
The order comes after MSC contracted 20 vessels of 24,000 TEU. Linerlytica data reported by The Maritime Executive put outstanding containership orders at 16.2 million TEU, representing 46.5% of the fleet in operation. The proportion was the highest recorded since 2009.
Yonhap reported that the contract lifted HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering‘s 2026 orders to 182 vessels, valued at $20.19 billion, bringing the company to 86.6% of its yearly order target.
