Tiger Clean Energy (TCE), part of Hong Kong's Tiger Group, is reported to have ordered a series of MPPs at China’s Yangzijiang Shipbuilding

The Gerry Wang-backed venture is said to have booked two firm newbuildings with options for eight more ships, according to Clarksons.

Upon delivery, due in 2022, the vessels will reportedly be used to transport LNG ISO containers from Malaysia to China, the shipbroker said.

Last month, Malaysia’s Petronas signed a deal to supply LNG to an ISO tank-filling facility owned by TCE in the eastern state of Sarawak.

The binding sales and purchase agreement allows the Chinese firm to distribute the fuel to remote locations in China using ISO tanks, Petronas said.

“Through this modern approach, we established a virtual pipeline that effectively enables LNG to reach off-grid customers who are not directly served by the natural gas distribution system in China,” Ahmad Adly Alias, the vice president of Petronas’ LNG marketing and trading division, said in a statement at the time.

“The unconventional term deal with TCE is a customer centric solution by Petronas as it goes beyond traditional LNG arrangements and includes a modern approach to delivering LNG that enables greater access to cleaner energy.”

Usually carried in container trucks instead of LNG vessels, they offer a back-up solution to meet excess demand faster than vessel deliveries that can be constrained by rigid schedules.

Petronas said the deal, struck by video teleconference, was the “first of its kind” that it has done virtually, amid lockdowns worldwide.

In July 2019, Canadian utility company FortisBC agreed a two-year deal to supply China with LNG via ISO container.

The agreement involves 53,000 tonnes of LNG per year, or about 60 containers a week, shipped from Tilbury in British Columbia to China by the summer of 2021.

FortisBC signed the deal with Hong Kong-listed Top Speed Energy Corp, which mainly operates LNG ISO tank containers and related logistics services.

In March this year, Tiger Group ordered two 14,000-teu containership newbuildings at Yangzijiang as part of a potentially larger order for 10 sisterships.

The first ships are due to be delivered from mid-2022. Each of the newbuildings is said to be costing $115m each.

If the eight options are exercised, the total deal could be worth $1.15bn – one of the largest orders in Yangzijiang's history.