Samsung Heavy Industries has clinched an order for two more LNG carriers worth KRW 485.3bn ($405m).
The ships have been contracted by MISC of Malaysia for charter to ExxonMobil's SeaRiver Maritime over 15 years, MISC said.
The 174,000-cbm carriers will be delivered by March 2023.
Samsung said the vessels come with a re-liquefaction system and its latest smart-ship solutions.
The deal brings to 37 the number of new ship orders the yard has won this year.
They are worth a combined $5.4bn. This is 69% of its annual order target of $7.8bn.
Samsung had an order backlog of 5.31m cgt at the end of August.
MISC said the ships include modern XDF propulsion and a Mark III Flex Plus containment system
Its president and group CEO Yee Yang Chien said: “This is certainly a landmark moment for MISC, and we are proud to expand this strategic partnership with ExxonMobil through SeaRiver in providing best-in-class shipping solutions, beginning with petroleum and now LNG."
Alex Volkov, vice president of Global LNG marketing at ExxonMobil, added: “Our cooperation with MISC is an integral part of ExxonMobil’s commitment to provide flexible solutions in the open and dynamic LNG marketplace.
“The addition of these two vessels will help us build a competitive LNG value chain as ExxonMobil continues to grow its global gas portfolio and expand supply positions to meet evolving needs of our customers.”
Order foretold
Last month, TradeWinds reported that US energy major ExxonMobil has chosen MISC as its preferred shipowner to take on the first in a series of LNG carrier newbuildings it was planning to order.
Industry sources said ExxonMobil made the selection after private negotiations with several shipowning parties.
MISC, which had hinted at a large incoming newbuilding plan, came as something of a surprise choice to the industry as the company has previously tended to concentrate on business for parent company Petronas.
But the Malaysian energy giant has been trying to grow its global reach and become a more international player.
ExxonMobil was offering charter-hire periods of between three and 15 years on the ships.
In August, TradeWinds had reported that the major had earlier singled out Samsung as its favoured yard.
