Merchant vessel orders reach 36 ships this year

Orders total $6.1 billion, hitting 107% of annual target

A container ship built by Samsung Heavy Industries. [Samsung Heavy Industries]
A container ship built by Samsung Heavy Industries. [Samsung Heavy Industries]

Samsung Heavy Industries continues to secure new orders even after surpassing its merchant vessel order target for the year.

Samsung Heavy Industries announced Monday that it has won an order for two container ships from an African shipping company for 444.5 billion won ($323 million). The vessels are scheduled for delivery by December 2028.

The company's cumulative merchant vessel orders this year stand at 36 ships valued at $6.1 billion, already exceeding its order target of $5.7 billion. By vessel type, the orders include 14 LNG carriers (including one LNG floating storage and regasification unit), two ethane carriers, four gas carriers, four container ships and 12 crude oil tankers.

Including two floating LNG production facilities in the offshore segment, Samsung Heavy Industries' total cumulative orders for the year reached $10.5 billion, or 76 percent of its annual order target of $13.9 billion.

"Orders for container ships are brisk, centered on vessels in the 8,000- to 13,000-TEU range, driven by demand to replace older ships with eco-friendly vessels," a company official said. "Having already exceeded our annual merchant vessel order target, we plan to focus even more on selective, profitability-driven orders going forward."


keg@heraldcorp.com