Shipowners ordered 53 alternative fuelled vessels in October, taking the total for 2026 to 364 ships, 57 percent ahead of the same point last year, according to DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight platform. The third quarter alone brought 168 orders, the strongest quarter in two years, after a slow start to the year.
LNG remains the dominant choice. It took 30 of October’s 53 orders, including 18 containerships and 12 car carriers, and accounts for 230 orders so far this year, about 63 percent of the total. Containerships lead the LNG segment with 134 orders and car carriers follow with 75, together more than 90 percent of LNG fuelled newbuild orders. Another 19 October orders were for LPG carriers, and four ammonia fuelled car carriers were added.
Jason Stefanatos, DNV Maritime’s global decarbonization director, pointed to LNG’s comparatively mature supply chain and growing bunkering network as its advantage over rival fuels. A separate Lloyd’s Register warning carried in the same news cycle said alternative fuel ship orders are outpacing the port bunkering infrastructure needed to serve them, which is the constraint to watch: the fleet being ordered assumes fuel availability that ports have not yet built.