As container shipping experiences an unprecedented boom in freight rates the ratio of orderbook to fleet for the sector has increased from 8.8% to over 20% in just eight months.

Last week MAN Energy Solutions (MAN ES) announced that Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) had taken up an option on six MAN B&W 11G95ME-GI Mk10.5 main engines for 23,500 teu containerships the yard is building for Hapag-Lloyd. The option follows an identical order for six engines in December last year.

Related: Hapag-Lloyd orders six LNG-dual fuel 23,500 teu boxships at DSME

Delivery for the engines under the new option are scheduled by the end of 2024.

Bjarne Foldager, Senior Vice President and Head of Two-Stroke Business at MAN ES, said: “The ME-GI is the world’s most efficient LNG engine, backed up by more than 1.7m running hours on LNG alone, as well as our unique partnership approach and follow-up commitment for vessels in service.

Related: Containership order surge boosting large engine demand

“Furthermore, it has low CO₂ and greenhouse-gas emissions, and a modular platform that facilitates conversion to other alternative fuels such as ammonia – should the need arise – which makes the engine truly future-proof.”

Meanwhile the shift to LNG propulsion by container lines has also benefitted pump manufacture Svanehøj which as has made a breakthrough to the boxship market.

Samsung Heavy Industries and DSME have ordered deepwell (DW) fuel pumps for up to 22 containerships of between 15,000 and 23,500 teu. A total of 44 22-metre-long pumps will be delivered to the Korean shipyards by the end of 2023.

“The two orders are a breakthrough for us and the result of a very constructive dialogue with shipyards and shipping companies. Our deepwell pumps are different from the pumps traditionally used on container vessels. This has some obvious benefits that we have had an excellent opportunity to present in the process,” said Johnny Houmann, Sales Director at Svanehøj.

As we reported last week WinGD says it has seen more than 80 orders for its largest engines as shipowners invest in ultra-large containership tonnage, and contracts for its 920 mm bore X92-B engine are six times they were at the same time last year.