The container ships with the codes X1549 and X1550, twin dual-fuel vessels also powered by liquefied natural gas and with a capacity of 24,000 TEU, left the construction dock at the Jiangsu Yangzi Xinfu Shipbuilding yard in Taixing, in the administrative area of Taizhou, in China’s Jiangsu region, on 3 September 2026. The two units will go to the French shipowner CMA CGM and are part of the series of ten 24,000 TEU LNG vessels ordered from the Yangzijiang Shipbuilding group in June 2023. The two ships are 399.9 metres long, 61.3 metres wide and 33.5 metres high. The liquefied natural gas is stored in 18,600 cubic metre membrane tanks, sized for a declared range of almost 20,000 nautical miles, enough to cover the entire route between the Far East and Europe without intermediate refuelling.
The two vessels are now alongside the quay to complete their internal outfitting and will then undergo sea trials before delivery. Delivery of the full order of ten ships is scheduled between summer 2026 and 2028. The order signed by CMA CGM with Yangzijiang in June 2023 has an estimated value of $2.5 billion, about €2.15 billion, and the first two units have already entered service: CMA CGM Notre Dame, delivered on 12 May 2026, and CMA CGM Pantheon, delivered on 21 July of the same year. The Yangzijiang group, China’s leading private shipyard by tonnage, is therefore strengthening its position in the large-capacity container ship segment, which has so far been dominated by state-owned yards.
