The 1,400 TEU vessels will strengthen the Singapore-based carrier’s intra-Asia and Pacific Islands network, with deliveries scheduled for 2029–2030.

Pacific International Lines (PIL) has ordered seven 1,400 TEU container ships from China’s Huanghai Shipbuilding, expanding its feeder fleet as part of an ongoing renewal and growth programme.

Announced on November 5, the methanol-ready vessels are scheduled for delivery between 2029 and 2030. They will primarily strengthen PIL’s intra-Asia and Pacific Islands services, improving connections between smaller ports and major transhipment hubs. The contract value was not disclosed.

Tailored to regional trades

Each vessel will measure 172 metres in length and 25 metres in beam. PIL said the dimensions and design had been customised to maximise vessel size for its target regional markets while retaining the flexibility to serve smaller ports.

“Investing in these new feeder vessels will strengthen our capabilities and capacity across the Intra-Asia and Pacific Islands network,” said PIL chief executive Lars Kastrup.

Kastrup said the ships’ energy-saving technologies, methanol-ready design and digital capabilities would support more efficient operations and vessel performance monitoring, while contributing to the company’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

PIL said it selected Huanghai for its technical capabilities, construction experience and ability to meet the carrier’s requirements for quality, efficiency and delivery.

Methanol readiness and efficiency upgrades

The ships will be designed to accommodate the future adoption of methanol as fuel as supply and supporting infrastructure develop. PIL has not announced methanol dual-fuel propulsion for delivery or disclosed the scope of any future conversion.

Energy-saving equipment will include pre-swirl vanes and propeller boss cap fins, intended to improve propulsion efficiency and reduce fuel consumption. No quantified fuel-saving targets were provided.

The vessels will also feature fixed fire water monitors and cargo hold water spray systems to strengthen onboard firefighting capabilities.

Huanghai’s feeder and specialised vessel business

Based in Shidao, Rongcheng, in eastern China’s Shandong province, Huanghai Shipbuilding traces its history to 1944. Its construction portfolio spans fishing vessels, feeder containerships, multipurpose heavy-lift ships and roll-on/roll-off passenger ferries.

The yard has an established relationship with intra-Asia carrier SITC International. On August 10, 2026, the two companies held the naming and delivery ceremony for the 1,800 TEU SITC Brave, providing a recent example of Huanghai’s feeder containership output.

Huanghai also continues to secure passenger ferry work. An August 2025 stock exchange filing by Jiangsu Lianyungang Port Co., Ltd. disclosed a contract for the yard to build a ferry with capacity for 950 passengers and 2,700 lane metres of vehicles.

The vessel, intended to replace capacity on the Lianyungang–Pyeongtaek route between China and South Korea, carries a contract price of RMB548.8 million, excluding tax, and is due for delivery by April 8, 2028.

The same filing reported Huanghai’s audited revenue of RMB5.07 billion and net profit of RMB267.9 million for 2024. Unaudited figures for the first half of 2025 showed revenue of RMB3.16 billion and net profit of RMB170.5 million.

Fleet renewal across vessel sizes

The feeder order follows investment in larger ships for PIL’s long-haul network. In June 2026, the carrier held a joint naming ceremony at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in Shanghai for Kota Elok and Kota Elan, the first two vessels in a series of 13 LNG dual-fuel containerships of 13,000 TEU.

PIL said those ships would serve its Asia–South America trade, while the newly ordered Huanghai vessels will address its regional network requirements.

Established in Singapore in 1967, PIL operates more than 100 containerships. Its network covers over 500 locations in more than 90 countries, with a focus on Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, Oceania and the Pacific Islands.