Supersizing of car carriers continues， with Norwegian operator Wallenius Wilhelmsen taking the lead with the announcement of the world’s largest ever ships on order in the sector.

The Oslo-listed company， which has a dozen of 9，300 ceu vessels of the so-called Shaper class firmed up for construction at China Merchants Jinling Shipyard， has decided to boost four of the newbuilds to 11，700 ceu (car equivalent units).

“The vessels will be the largest PCTCs ever to sail and will play an important role in reducing the cost of the company’s net-zero end-to-end ambition， Wallenius Wilhelmsen said.

The four upsized vessels will have most of the integral design features of the Shaper units， including methanol dual-fuel engines from delivery， improved ramp strength， significant high and heavy capacity and “an extensive focus on energy efficiency， safety and crew welfare”.

The first ship in this series is due for delivery beginning in late 2027.

“We believe the new upsized Shaper vessels are a class apart. Providing significant savings on fuel and emissions in comparison to the current fleet and with both unparalleled capacity and the highest ramp strength in the orderbook， these vessels are truly fit for the future，” said Xavier Leroi， Wallenius Wilhelmsen’s executive vice president and chief of operations of shipping services.

Late last year， Seaspan， the world’s largest boxship lessor， and South Korean flagship line HMM teamed up with Hyundai Glovis， the shipping and logistics unit of Hyundai Motor Group， to order 10，800 ceu vessels claimed at the time as the largest under-development car carriers. Hot on the heels of this order， China Merchants Jinling revealed a design for an 11，000 ceu ship and secured an approval in principle from class society DNV.