Wallenius Wilhelmsen orders four car carriers in China, options for eight more

Wallenius Wilhelmsen has agreed with China's Jinling Shipyard (Jiangsu) to build four 9,900 CEU dual-fuel car carriers for delivery from mid-2030, with options for eight more that would take total spending to about $1.5 billion.

Why it matters: The order extends the Norwegian group's fleet renewal program to 26 vessels and locks in Chinese yard capacity into 2032, a long-dated bet on vehicle shipping demand funded in part by a $300 million private placement completed earlier in October.

Data as of Wallenius Wilhelmsen announcement of October 28, 2026, as carried in the company's own news release and reported in full by gCaptain (read in full in this run); the $1.5 billion figure is the company's expected total capital expenditure if all options are exercised, not a firm contract value. Developing item.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen has reached an agreement with Jinling Shipyard (Jiangsu) in China to build four pure car and truck carriers of 9,900 car equivalent units each, with deliveries beginning in mid-2030. The agreement carries options for four more vessels in 2031 and another four in 2032; if all are exercised, total capital expenditure is expected to reach about $1.5 billion. The ships are of the company’s Shaper Class design, with dual-fuel LNG engines, hoistable decks and adaptable cargo spaces for vehicles, trucks and other rolling equipment.

The order lifts the fleet renewal program Wallenius Wilhelmsen launched in 2023, which it describes as the largest in its history, to 26 vessels including options. The Oslo-based group, which operates about 130 vessels on 15 trade routes, announced it after completing a private placement earlier in October, and its shipping services chief operating officer, Xavier Leroi, said the expansion reflects confidence in the long-term fundamentals of the market it serves.

Wallenius Wilhelmsen orders four car carriers in China, options for eight more

Sources