JIANGNAN Shipyard's latest newbuild is the third of four 14,000-TEU ships in PIL's fleet designed to run on LNG, reports Rotterdam's Offshore Energy.

"We are thrilled to welcome Kota Ebony, our third 14,000-TEU vessel to our fleet. These efficient dual-fuel vessels enable us to further bolster our services and support the growing trade between China and Latin America," said PIL chief executive Lars Kastrup.

"The first two sister ships, Kota Eagle and Kota Emerald, were delivered in October and December last year, and are already operating successfully on our Latin America service network. We are now proud to add Kota Ebony to reinforce the East Coast Latin America service.

"Our fourth 14K TEU vessel is expected in the coming months, and will be joined by another 14 dual-fuel, biomethane-capable vessels which will be delivered progressively over 2025 and the subsequent years," said Mr Kastrup.

The 14,000-TEU LNG dual-fuel ships are equipped with GTT's Mark III LNG containment system and feature a high container intake as well as various energy-saving technologies such as hull coatings, an optimised hull form, and variable frequency drive motors.

The ships will also use artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) which will increase the automation of tasks and enable better monitoring and planning of the vessels' operations and routes through PIL's Centre for Maritime Efficiency.

The shipping company has ordered a total of 18 newbuild vessels since 2022. In addition to the four 14,000-TEU vessels, PIL has another four 8,000-TEU, five 13,000-TEU, and five 9,000-TEU vessels on order.