CIMC Raffles started construction on the newbuild at its yard in Yantai on June 8.

The ice class vessel is the second out of a two-vessel batch ordered last year and believed to be the largest LNG-powered RoRo ships in the world.

The order provides an option for a further two LNG-powered vessels.

The ships will be 242 meters in length with 35.2 meters of beam and 5,800 meters of lane space.

The vessels designed by Knud E. Hansen would contain two Type C LNG tanks, each with a capacity of 685 cubic metres.

On 30 March, CIMC Raffles held a ceremony for steel cutting for the first vessel.

The Chinese shipyard announced on Monday, following the coronavirus pandemic, it completed keel laying for the first ship proceeding with the vessel's construction in "full speed."

The vessels will come into service in the Baltic Sea until delivered in 2021.

According to Wallenius SOL, they will maintain year-round service, including in the snowy winter season at the Gulf of Bothnia.

Maritime Business World