South Korea’s Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries has held keel-laying ceremonies for two LNG carriers it is building for Norwegian shipowner Knutsen.
Both of the ceremonies took place on December 26, according to a social media post by Knutsen LNG France, a unit of Knutsen.
The two vessels in question are hull 8148 and hull 8149, it said.
Knutsen LNG France said it expects Hyundai Samho to complete the ships next year while Knutsen’s website shows that these vessels are slated for delivery in 2024.
In October, Knutsen took delivery of the 174,000-cbm Huelva Knutsen from Hyundai Samho.
This Norwegian-flagged ship is the fourth vessel in the series of nine LNG carriers going into long-term contract with LNG giant Shell.
Prior to this vessel, Knutsen welcomed in its fleet the Norwegian-flagged Santander Knutsen and two French-flagged vessels, namely Malaga Knutsen and Alicante Knutsen.
The LNG carriers feature WinGD’s dual-fuel X-DF engines and GTT’s Mark III Flex containment system.
Moreover, the 297 meters long ships have boil-off management plants, air lubrication systems, and shaft generators for auxiliary power along with optimized hull and design speed, according to Knutsen.
Hyundai Samho previously said that it would build 15 LNG carriers of the same type for Knutsen for about $2.8 billion, the largest-ever project for the shipbuilder.
The Korean yard aims to deliver all of these ships by December 2025.