New bookings pick up in February as orderbook for LNG bunker vessels grows by 50%.
New orders for 34 alternative-fuelled vessels were placed in February 2025, bringing the total to 45 vessels in the first two months, a 35% drop on the same two-month period last year, according to figures from DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform.
Of the 34 vessels added to the alternative fuel order book in February, 33 were LNG-powered container ships, plus a single ammonia-fuelled general cargo vessel. In fact, that ammonia vessel is the only non-LNG order recorded on AFI for 2025 so far. Methanol is yet to make a mark on the scoreboard, after 166 methanol-fuelled ships were ordered in 2024.
The drop in year-to-date orders is largely accounted for by slow ordering for traditional and alternative fuel vessels in January, said DNV. February’s order numbers are the highest since October 2024.
AFI showed eight orders for LNG bunkering vessels, a 50% expansion of the orderbook for such ships, which are an important part of the supply chain for LNG as a marine fuel.
Jason Stefanatos, global decarbonisation director at DNV Maritime, said: “LNG remains the headline story, with a clear continuation of the trend towards these vessels evident since mid-2024. Again, this is being driven by the container segment, highlighting the importance of the voluntary market in driving maritime decarbonisation.
“Based on vessels already in the orderbook, the number of LNG vessels in operation is set to almost double by the end of the decade, and the need for supporting LNG bunkering infrastructure is intensifying. It is, therefore, especially encouraging to see a surge in the ordering of LNG bunkering vessels in February.”
AFI data since 2015 shows alternative fuel uptake appearing to trace an exponential curve over the past 10 years as adoption accelerates. Fuel types are dominated by LNG vessels, followed by LPG- and methanol-fuelled ships.