On 5 June 2023, Eastaway, a member of the X-Press Feeders Group, ordered 6 new state-of-the-art 1,250 TEU container vessels, fitted with ultra-modern, dual-fuel engines capable of operating on conventional fuel and methanol. The first ship is set to be delivered by 2nd half 2025, bringing the number of dual-fuel vessels in the pipeline for the X-Press Feeders Group to 14. The vessels will join in the ranks of Eastaway’s managed fleet and will be operated by X-Press Feeders.
X-Press Feeders has set a target of net-zero emissions by 2050, aiming to be ‘The Greener Feeder Carrier Of Choice’. The group moves closer to its targets with this additional fleet of dual-fuel newbuilds while employing other strategies such as carbon capture and exploration of future fuels.
About the vessels
Compared to other vessels that run on conventional fuels, the new dual-fuel vessels will produce about 75% less emissions when operating on green methanol. The vessels will adopt the Sdari Sealion CV1250 Methanol dual fuel design, built by CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Company Limited. The 6 vessels will be of Ice Class, with delivery dates estimated between Q3 2025 to Q3 2026. Initial deployment of the vessels will likely be in X-Press Feeders established European network.
“X-Press Feeders is excited to be expanding our fleet of dual-fuel vessels with these newbuilds. To achieve our goal of reaching net-zero emission by 2050, we must take concrete steps today. This order of 6 dual-fuel methanol vessels is proof of our commitment to not only talk about carbon neutrality goals but invest and take risks to achieve them. X-Press Feeders will continue to look at ways to further invest resources to reduce emissions through more efficient operations and promoting sustainable practices throughout our network,” said X-Press Feeders Chief Executive Officer, Shmuel Yoskovitz.