Project economics drove the selection of this story. Samsung Heavy Industries has secured a 1.65 trillion won contract to build four large LNG carriers and two oil tankers. The buyer is an undisclosed customer based in Oceania.
The latest award brings Samsung Heavy's 2026 commercial vessel orders to $7.3 billion across 42 ships, including 18 LNG carriers. When two floating LNG production facilities worth $4.4 billion are included, total 2026 orders reach $11.7 billion. That is 84 percent of the company's overall annual target.
Each LNG carrier will hold 200,000 cubic metres, about 15 percent more than the 174,000 cubic metre design commonly used in the sector. The contract runs from 11 September 2026 to 28 September 2029. Samsung Heavy says the larger design can move the same volume with fewer voyages.
Global new vessel orders rose 66 percent by compensated gross tonnage in the first half of 2026. LNG carrier contracts reached 59 ships with total capacity of 9.7 million cubic metres over the same period. As these ships enter service, operators will have more fleet capacity to schedule, fuel and monitor.