Mitsui OSK Lines has been linked to an order for a single LNG carrier newbuilding that was recently announced by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering.
Shipbuilding sources have pointed to MOL, claiming it to be the “Oceania owner” that DSME said had ordered a 174,000-cbm gas carrier on 7 April.
The Okpo-based shipbuilder said the LNG tanker was contracted at KRW 339.6bn ($257.5m) and will be delivered by August 2027.
Shipbuilding sources noted that this is the second LNG carrier that MOL has ordered at DSME this year. The first was contracted in February and is scheduled for delivery in March 2027.
Based on figures quoted by DSME, it appears that MOL is paying almost $11m more for the second LNG carrier. The first newbuilding was contracted at KRW 314.5bn ($246.6m).
The latest order from MOL brings the number of LNG carriers ordered at DSME this year to four. Maria Angelicoussis-controlled Maran Gas Maritime ordered two vessels last month at $256.2m per ship. The Greek company is slated to take delivery of the duo by mid-2027.
DSME has set an order target of $6.98bn for 2023. The four LNG carriers are the only newbuildings the yard has contracted so far this year.
The shipbuilder expects to be taken over by South Korean defence and energy conglomerate Hanwha Group in the first half of 2023.
In early April, the European Union gave the green light for Hanwha to take over the shipyard.
That leaves only South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) to make a decision after China, Singapore, Vietnam, Turkey, Britain and Japan consented to the deal between the two South Korean entities.
Last September, Hanwha signed a memorandum of understanding with DSME to acquire 49.3% of the shipyard’s shares through a paid-in capital increase from Korea Development Bank — the largest stakeholder of the Okpo yard.
