Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation (Yang Ming) announced that it will be building five LNG vessels to boost the shipping line's decarbonization plans.

"Yang Ming held its 372nd Board Meeting to approve that, the five new 15,000 TEU vessels authorized at 368th Board Meeting on January 14, would be equipped with dual-fuel LNG marine engines," the Taiwan-based shipping line said.

It added that with this, Yang Ming will be the first shipping company in Taiwan that owns LNG-powered container ships.

"The shipbuilding plan is set to strengthen the company's mid-to-long-term operational competitiveness and accelerate fleet renewal plan," Yang Ming added.

The shipping company noted that by using clean energy, Yang Ming has taken another step to address climate change and move on to low-carbon transitions, thereby protecting the environment in the years to come.

"Yang Ming develops its fleet deployment plan based on business projection and international environmental laws and regulations. As stricter regulations are being enforced globally to achieve zero-emission, the company is factoring in the following benchmarks when determining the choice of fuel types," it said, adding that this includes IMO's Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) for the annual decrease in emission intensity, and the Fit for 55 packages, being part of the European Commission's Green Deal, to reduce EU's total GHG emissions by up to 75% by 2050.

"In the spirit of environmental sustainability, Yang Ming is using LNG for the new fleet on account of its relatively mature low-carbon technology. By so doing, the company expects to reduce GHG emissions by at least 20%, as compared to using traditional fuel," Yang Ming said.

"In all, Yang Ming is fulfilling its objective of environmental sustainability while stepping up the competitive edge for the entire fleet," it added.