South Korea’s shipbuilder Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering has revealed orders for three new LNG carriers worth about 748 billion won ($632 million).
KSOE’s unit Hyundai Heavy Industries would build two vessels while Hyundai Samho would construct one ship, the firm said in two separate filings to the stock exchange.
Hyundai Heavy will build the two carriers for 498.4 billion won ($421 million) and deliver them to an Oceania-based owner by the end of June 2024.
Moreover, Hyundai Samho will deliver one LNG carrier to an owner in Oceania as well by the end of July 2024. This deal has a price tag of 249.2 billion won ($211 million).
KSOE did not reveal any additional info on the new orders.
With the latest orders, KSOE has won in total $20.9 billion in orders, exceeding this year’s order target of $14.9 billion for about $6 billion.
Capital Gas behind the order?
One shipbuilding source told LNG Prime that Evangelos Marinakis-led Capital Gas could be behind the order for these new LNG carriers.
Capital Gas has earlier this year ordered two 174,000-cbm LNG carriers at Hyundai Heavy.
With this new order, the Greek company’s fleet would rise to 12 vessels.
Capital Product Partners has this year purchased three of these LNG carriers and has just exercised an option to buy three more vessels in this fleet.