Before the announcement, WW had ordered 14 newbuildings at China Merchants Shipyard (CMS) Jinling, of which one, ARCTIC TERN, has been delivered. The initial seven 87,700 GT vessels have a capacity of 9,300 CEU and dual-fuel methanol propulsion, while the remaining seven are larger 108,900 GT, 11,700 CEU PCTCs of the "Shaper" class, powered by dual-fuel LNG.

It is understood that the new order will be for four firm 11,700 CEU class vessels for delivery in 2030, with options for a further eight sisters for delivery from 2031 at quarterly intervals, extending the newbuilding programme to 26 vessels.

While WW states that it is in advanced negotiations with shipyards for the order, it is very likely that China Merchants Shipyard Group will continue to partner WW on the project, with its Jinling yard being a world leader in RoRo and PCTC construction.

WW has had the confidence to make the private placement on the back of an expected Q3 EBITDA of USD 420–450 million and an EBITDA outlook of USD 1.6 billion for the whole of 2026.

© Shippax