Samsung Heavy Industries announced on Nov. 25 that it has signed a contract to build four 16,000 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) container ships with an Asian shipowner, according to BusinessKorea.
The total contract amount is 1.0985 trillion won, and these ships are scheduled to be delivered to the shipowner by December 2027. This significant deal marks another milestone for Samsung Heavy Industries, which has now secured orders for 33 vessels, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and ammonia carriers, amounting to $6.8 billion, achieving 70% of its annual target of $9.7 billion.
The orders secured by Samsung Heavy Industries this year include 22 LNG carriers, 2 very large ammonia carriers, 1 shuttle tanker, 4 Suezmax (S-MAX) tankers, and 4 container ships. This diverse portfolio highlights the company's strategic focus on various types of vessels to meet the evolving demands of the global shipping industry.
The global container ship market is expected to see an increase in demand for replacing aging vessels due to strengthened environmental regulations. According to a recent forecast by Clarkson Research, an average of 53 container ships of 12,000 TEU or more are expected to be ordered annually from 2024 to 2027. This trend underscores the growing need for newer, more eco-friendly ships to comply with international environmental standards.
A Samsung Heavy Industries official stated, "We will do our utmost to achieve our order target by focusing on LNG carriers, which have steady demand, as well as floating liquefied natural gas production facilities (FLNG) and eco-friendly ships, where we have a competitive edge."