The World Shipping Council has released a new update from its Dual Fuel Fleet Dashboard, showing continued momentum in the liner sector’s shift toward lower emission operations.
By December 2025, 400 dual fuel container ships and vehicle carriers were operating worldwide, up from 218 vessels the year before. The figures highlight how quickly shipping lines are adding vessels that can operate on renewable and lower emission fuels.
Orderbook growth remains strong. Even with many recent deliveries entering service, 726 dual fuel ships are still on order. Across the container ship and vehicle carrier orderbook, 74 percent of all vessels being built now include dual fuel capability. This signals that fuel flexibility is becoming standard practice for newbuild tonnage.
In total, 1,126 dual fuel container ships and vehicle carriers have either been delivered or are on order. That marks a 28 percent increase compared with last year. Industry investment in these vessels now exceeds 150 billion dollars.
Dual fuel ships are seen as a practical pathway for the energy transition. They allow operators to use conventional fuels today while remaining ready to switch to renewable and near zero emission fuels as supply and infrastructure become widely available.
