“LNG remains the leading near-term option, accounting for 70 orders so far this year, with order activity continuing to be led by containers (42) and car carriers (21),” says Jason Stefanatos, the Global Decarbonization Director at DNV, regarding the latest data from DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform.
June figures from DNV’s AFI platform show that shipowners placed 15 new orders for alternative-fuelled vessels during the month.
This brings the total for the first half of 2026 to 134 orders, down from 155 in the same period last year.
LNG remains the leading near-term option, accounting for 70 orders and 61 deliveries so far in 2026.
LPG and ethane carriers in particular have seen stronger-than-expected activity, with 55 orders in the first half of the year, compared to 15 during the same period in 2025.
Jason Stefanatos, Global Decarbonization Director at DNV, said: “What we can take away from the first half of 2026 is that we have a market progressing at different speeds depending on segment economics, fuel availability, and the regulatory landscape, with shipowners and other stakeholders pursuing different pathways based on their individual priorities and requirements.”
Stefanatos also said that developments in areas such as ammonia- and ethanol-fuelled vessels underline that new pathways continue to be explored.
