Orders for alternative-fuelled vessels surged in September, with 69 new orders recorded during the month, according to Kristian Hammer, Product
Orders for alternative-fuelled vessels surged in September, with 69 new orders recorded during the month, according to Kristian Hammer, Product Manager AFI at DNV.
The September total made it the strongest month for alternative-fuelled vessel orders since October 2024 and lifted the third-quarter 2026 total to 168 vessels, the highest quarterly figure since Q3 2024. DNV Product Manager AFI Kristian Hammer shared the latest figures on LinkedIn on October 1, noting that the strong third-quarter performance followed a slower start to the year.
LNG remains dominant
LNG continued to account for the largest share of new alternative-fuelled vessel orders in September, with 48 vessels ordered.
The container and car carrier segments accounted for most of these LNG orders, with 26 and 18 vessels respectively.
The trend has also been evident across the year. DNV recorded 200 LNG-fuelled vessel orders in the first nine months of 2026, representing a 52% increase compared with the same period in 2025.
DNV’s AFI platform tracks alternative-fuel uptake across vessel types, fuels and infrastructure, providing data on the industry’s transition toward alternative energy pathways.
Growing fuel diversity
While LNG continues to dominate ordering activity, September also showed increasing activity in other alternative-fuel pathways.
Twelve ethanol-fuelled vessels were ordered during the month, all of them bulk carriers.
According to DNV, the September activity brought total alternative-fuelled vessel orders for the first nine months of 2026 to 311, 53% higher than at the same point in 2025.
The figures indicate that ordering activity is extending across multiple fuel types and vessel segments, although LNG remains the principal alternative-fuel choice.
DNV’s latest annual data also showed that LNG has remained a major driver of alternative-fuel ordering, particularly in the container segment. In 2025, LNG-fuelled vessels accounted for 188 alternative-fuel orders, while methanol orders stood at 61.
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