Gianluigi Aponte’s Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) is pressing ahead with megamax containership fleet expansion through a new shipbuilding deal in China.

The Swiss-based liner giant has ordered up to six 22，000 teu newbuilds from China Merchants Heavy Industries’ Haimen shipyard.

Shipbuilding sources estimate each LNG dual-fuel ship at more than $200m， with deliveries expected to start in 2027.

The world’s largest container carrier counts about 6.67m teu in carrying capacity， including newbuilds， commanding around a 20% share of the global operated fleet. The company’s massive orderbook stands at more than 120 ships， which should boost the fleet by over 2m slots in the coming years.

Earlier this year， the Soren Toft-led liner also returned to Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard and Hengli Heavy Industry in China for a series of LNG dual-fuel megamax containerships between 21，700 teu and 24，000 teu， with deliveries set for 2028 and 2029.

If the latest order is confirmed， MSC’s newbuilding backlog of ships between 19，000 and 24，000 teu will top the 60 mark. The deal would also signal China Merchants Heavy Industries’ debut in the large boxship construction segment.