Shipyards have submitted bids for a clutch of LNG newbuildings that BG Group is chasing.Offers are believed to have gone in early this month, sources reported. It appears there is as yet no clear timetable, though. Earlier reports suggested the company wanted to firm up orders within this year.BG opened talks with shipbuilders on up to five 170,000-cbm LNG carriers earlier this year. Discussions with yards are understood to have centred on BG’s interest in developing a new breed of more efficient vessels.Initial enquiries went out to five shipyards comprising South Korea’s big three — Hyundai Heavy Industries, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and Samsung Heavy Industries — along with Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.BG has previously ordered its LNG carriers at SHI.The UK-listed outfit, which controls much of its shipping business out of its Houston office, has not been afraid to try new design twists in the past.The company was quick to order some of the first 170,000-cbm size vessels. It also built four ships at SHI that were fitted with onboard reliquefaction systems.In tandem with this enquiry, BG is expected to order at least two LNG newbuildings at a Chinese shipyard in the near future to cover shipments to the country from its upcoming Queensland Curtis LNG project in Australia.