Before midyear, the price tag for a standard-sized LNG newbuilding will likely top US$260M. In one of the latest orders, Greece’s Capital Gas inked a deal with Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI) for two 174,000-m3 LNG carriers, priced at US$259.5M. Both vessels have a delivery date of September 2026, reports Riviera.
Latest LNG order
The Evangelos Marinakis-controlled Capital Gas increased its newbuilding programme to 13 with the latest LNG order, with six being built at Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and seven at HSHI.
The US$519M deal was part of a busy week 11, 2023 that featured “the relentless march of gas business,” said BRL Newbuilding Contract Weekly. Seven LNG newbuilds were ordered during the week, five at Chinese shipyards and two at South Korea’s HSHI.
“Chinese yards are quite busy attracting new orders against recently approved tank containment licences from GTT NO.96 in France,” said BRL.
One of those was Taiping Finance, which booked two 175,000-m3 LNG carriers at US$235M apiece from Jiangnan Shipyard with deliveries in March 2027 and July 2026, respectively. BRL reported the two LNG carriers were committed to Shandong Marine Energy (Singapore) on charter for a minimum 15 years.
Hudong-Zhonghua booked three 174,000-m3 LNG carriers from Hong Kong-based Wideshine Enterprises with deliveries scheduled for March, June and December 2028. No price was reported.
“Even now observers predict many more ships will be required in the next decade to satisfy demand and the eco debate over the rush to decarbonisation reduction towards a zero goal by 2050,” said BRL.
With 24 LNG newbuilds ordered in 2023, the global orderbook was pushed to 397 ships, according to BRL data.
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Source: Riviera
