MSC-backed GCC expands car carrier spree with two more newbuilds

MSC-controlled Global Car Carriers (GCC) has added another two large LNG dual-fuel car carriers in China, taking its rapidly expanding newbuilding programme to 22 ships.

The former Gram Car Carriers has booked two 8,600 ceu pure car and truck carriers at Zhoushan Changhong International Shipyard, with both vessels scheduled for delivery in 2030.

The latest additions, listed as Viking NB 21 and Viking NB 22 on the Oslo-based owner’s fleet register, bring its orderbook to eighteen 8,600 ceu ships and four of 7,000 ceu, representing a combined carrying capacity of 182,800 vehicles. No price has been disclosed.

The deal also brings another Chinese builder into GCC’s newbuilding programme. Zhoushan Changhong is already a major shipbuilding partner of parent MSC, with a string of LNG dual-fuel containership contracts, including a series of 21,700 teu vessels.

The latest move comes just weeks after GCC added eight 8,600 ceu car carriers at China Merchants’ Weihai yard, Guangzhou Shipyard International and Fujian Mawei Shipbuilding, lifting its programme at the time to 20 ships worth more than $2bn.

As recently as July, GCC had 12 newbuildings lined up. Its entire orderbook is now concentrated at Chinese yards, with deliveries scheduled between 2028 and 2030.

The expansion has gathered pace since MSC took over Oslo-listed Gram Car Carriers in 2024 in a deal worth around $700m. The Aponte-controlled group subsequently took the company private, with Gram changing its name to Global Car Carriers earlier this year.

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