MSC-backed GCC doubles down with two more 8,600-ceu car carriers
The latest additions to GCC’s orderbook push its newbuilding programme to 22 LNG dual-fuel vessels.
Global Car Carriers (GCC), the vehicle transport arm of shipping giant MSC, has further expanded its fleet with orders for two additional liquefied natural gas-powered car carriers. The new vessels increase GCC’s total newbuilding program to 22 ships, reinforcing its position in the automotive logistics sector.
The latest additions consist of two 8,600-ceu pure car and truck carriers, both equipped with dual-fuel LNG engines. The ships were commissioned at Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard in China and are scheduled for delivery in 2030. With these orders, GCC’s total carrying capacity across its orderbook now reaches 182,800 vehicles, though the financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed.
The contract with Zhoushan Changhong marks another collaboration between the yard and MSC, which has previously commissioned multiple LNG-powered containerships from the same builder. GCC’s entire orderbook is now concentrated in China, with deliveries spread between 2028 and 2030.
Natural Gas
Chinese shipyards lead GCC’s expansion: lng dual-fuel car carriers
Just weeks before this announcement, GCC had placed orders for eight additional 8,600-ceu vessels at three other Chinese yards: China Merchants’ Weihai yard, Guangzhou Shipyard International, and Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding. That earlier deal, valued at over $2 billion, had already pushed GCC’s orderbook to 20 ships.
The rapid expansion follows MSC’s $700 million takeover of Oslo-listed Gram Car Carriers in 2024, after which the company was rebranded as Global Car Carriers and taken private. As recently as July, GCC’s orderbook stood at just 12 vessels, highlighting the accelerated pace of its fleet development under MSC’s ownership.
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