Falling container freight rates have failed to dampen the appetite of liner giant MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company for newbuildings, according to shipbuilding sources.

The world’s largest liner operator — which has 66 container ships under construction in South Korea and China, excluding chartered newbuildings — is said to have ordered 10 LNG dual-fuelled neo-panamaxes at a Chinese shipyard.

The sources added that the Gianluigi Aponte-controlled company had contracted Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard to build the 11,400-teu vessels for delivery in 2025 and 2026.