China’s Yangzijiang Shipbuilding has handed over the LNG dual-fuel containership, MSC Annamaria, to Switzerland-based shipping giant MSC.

Jiangsu Yangzi Xinfu Shipbuilding, a unit of Yangzijiang, delivered the vessel last week.

This is MSC’s fourth LNG dual-fuel containership in a new series of vessels with a capacity of 16,000 teu, according to Yangzijiang.

Unlike the other three vessels, this ship is the first large containership built by Yangzijiang equipped with a wind deflector, which can effectively reduce the wind resistance of the ship during sailing, it said.

The shipbuilder delivered the third vessel in this batch, MSC Olbia, in December last year.

In October 2022, Yangzijiang secured an order to build twelve LNG-powered containerships with a capacity of 16,000 teu for MSC.

Earlier the same year, Yangzijiang delivered the first LNG dual-fuel containership in MSC’s fleet, MSC Washington.

Yangzijiang said last month that it had secured orders for 38 LNG dual-fuel and 23 methanol dual-fuel containerships in 2024.

According to Yangzijiang, 28 of these LNG dual-fuel containerships will have a capacity of 17,000 teu, while 10 vessels will have a capacity of 9,000 teu.

In total, Yangzijiang has 62 LNG dual-fuel containerships in its order book.