Norway’s Knutsen OAS Shipping has confirmed it is the shipowner behind a single LNG carrier newbuilding, which was announced by Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE) on Thursday.
KSOE said it had secured an order for a 174,000-cbm LNG carrier from a European shipping company.
The Hyundai yard grouping outfit said the order is worth KRW 278.3bn ($224.5m).
The newbuilding will be constructed at Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries and delivered by 8 December 2025.
Knutsen deputy managing direct Synnove Seglem told TradeWinds that the company had signed a new shipbuilding contract with KSOE.
Seglem said the company is unable to disclose the charterer of the vessel at present as they have requested anonymity.
Newbuilding sources in South Korea told this publication that the order is backed by a charter contract with French electricity utility Engie.
In July 2021, Knutsen contracted a lone LNG carrier at Hyundai Samho for delivery at the end of 2023. This vessel was also said to have been ordered on the back of an Engie charter.
Knutsen has been a frequent customer for KSOE on LNG carriers.
Earlier this month, Knutsen was named as the buyer behind two LNG carriers announced by KSOE.
These ships, both priced at around $224.5m each and for delivery in the first half of 2025, are believed to be optional vessels ordered for charter to Poland’s Polskie Gornictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo (PGNiG).
The Norwegian owner, which operates gas carrier arm Knutsen LNG, has previously ordered four 174,000-cbm LNG carriers for the Polish charterer, which has been extending its LNG purchases.
Knutsen is listed on Clarksons’ Shipping Intelligence Network database as having 15 vessels on order, all bar one of which are being built at Hyundai Samho. At least seven of the vessels are fixed against term-charters to energy major Shell.
The shipowner also has a 5,000-cbm LNG bunker vessel under construction in Spain, which was contracted against a charter from Shell.
In addition to the newbuildings, Knutsen has 15 existing LNG carriers, made up of a mix of steam turbine, tri-fuel diesel-electric vessels and some larger two-stroke, gas-injection ships. These include two small-scale LNG carriers comprising one 30,000-cbm vessel and a 1,100-cbm ship.
