Orders for alternative-fuel vessels have dropped sharply in 2025 after an exceptional surge last year. According to DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform, the shipping industry placed 232 alternative-fuel newbuild orders in the first 11 months of 2025—53% fewer than in the same period of 2024.
Despite the slowdown, LNG-fueled vessels continue to dominate contracting activity, representing 67% of all alternative-fuel orders this year. In November, the market recorded 10 new alternative-fuel orders—and every one of them was LNG. Containerships led with six orders, while tankers accounted for four. For the year overall, containerships remain the main driver, making up 66% of alternative-fuel orders.
DNV notes that following a stronger October, ordering momentum eased again, mirroring broader market trends in the second half of the year. Even so, the direction is clear: LNG orders—primarily in the container segment—remain the prevailing trend.
The 2025 figures mark a notable step back from 2024’s record, when 515 alternative-fuel vessels were ordered—38% higher than the year before. That spike was largely fueled by a boom in containership and car carrier contracting, with 69% of containership orders in 2024 specifying alternative-fuel capability.
While LNG holds the lead, methanol has taken 20% of alternative-fuel orders in 2025, down from 32% in 2024, when 166 methanol-capable ships were ordered. DNV suggests the shift may reflect challenges in scaling infrastructure and supply for “green” methanol.
Meanwhile, the in-service LNG fleet continues to expand. By the end of 2024, 641 LNG-fueled vessels were operating worldwide, after a record 169 LNG vessel deliveries that year. The global LNG-fueled fleet doubled between 2021 and 2024.
DNV adds that decarbonization momentum is still being pushed mainly by cargo owners responding to sustainability demands and by liner operators preparing to replace aging tonnage, even as regulatory uncertainty persists.
Looking ahead, DNV expects the LNG-fueled fleet to double again by the end of the decade based on the current orderbook. At the same time, newer fuels such as ammonia are gaining traction: 27 ammonia-fueled vessel orders were placed in 2024, including the first ammonia carriers designed to run on non-gas fuel.
