On November 20, Samsung Heavy Industries announced a contract with an Asian shipowner for the construction of seven container vessels, with the total order valued at 1.922 trillion won (approximately $1.31 billion). Based on this calculation, each vessel is valued at approximately $187 million. Deliveries to the shipowner are scheduled to commence by November 2029.
It is worth noting that although Samsung Heavy Industries has not disclosed the shipowner’s identity, it is speculated to be Evergreen Marine Corporation from Taiwan, China. Several days ago, Evergreen confirmed an order for 14 new Neopanamax container vessels with 14,000 TEU capacity, powered by dual-fuel LNG engines. Guangzhou Shipyard International and Samsung Heavy Industries will each build seven vessels.
Through its latest contracts, Samsung Heavy Industries has secured orders for 39 new merchant vessels worth approximately $6.1 billion this year, exceeding its annual target of $5.8 billion for merchant vessels orders. In the offshore sector, following the preliminary FLNG contract secured in July, the company recently signed a letter of intent for the Delfin FLNG project and is expected to achieve its annual target.
By vessel type, the order includes 7 liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, 9 shuttle tankers, 2 ethane carriers, 11 crude oil tankers, 9 container ships and 1 preliminary contract for an offshore facility.
Samsung Heavy Industries stated that with the recent growth in environmental protection demands, container vessel orders are showing an increasing trend centered on LNG dual-fuel vessels.
A Samsung Heavy Industries representative stated, “We have secured a stable and high-quality order volume in the commercial shipping sector and are continuing to implement an order strategy focused on profitability. If the planned FLNG contract is completed within the year, this year’s order target will be successfully achieved.”