Chinese shipping firm Cosco Shipping has placed orders for 12 LNG dual-fuel container ships.

The contract for the 18,000 TEU vessels was signed with Jiangnan Shipyard and China Shipbuilding Trading on January 13, according to a LinkedIn post by Jiangnan Shipyard on Monday.

Each ship is valued at approximately RMB 1.40 billion ($200.8 million), with deliveries scheduled between 2028 and 2029.

Cosco Shipping noted that Jiangnan Shipyard was selected primarily because it offered earlier delivery slots than its competitors.

The vessels will feature dual-fuel engines capable of running on both LNG and conventional marine fuels.

While the growing number of LNG-capable ships is expected to drive up demand for the fuel, tightening emissions regulations may eventually require these vessels to transition to cleaner alternatives, such as bio-LNG.