On 10 February, 2026, GTT announces that it has received, in the first quarter of 2026, an order from
Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard for the tank design of two new Very Large Ethane Carriers (VLECs) on behalf of an Asian ship-owner.
Each vessel will offer a capacity of 100,000 m³ and will feature cryogenic tanks designed by GTT, fitted with the Mark III membrane containment system.
Delivery of the vessels is scheduled between the fourth quarter of 2028 and the first quarter of 2029.
Although GTT did not disclose the shipowner’s information, according to Samsung Heavy Industries, the two 10,000 m³ VLECs were ordered by Japanese shipowner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL). Samsung Heavy Industries announced the order at the end of January, with a unit price of approximately US$150 million.
The VLEC is 230 meters long, 36.6 meters wide, and has a full-load draft of 11.9 meters. It will be equipped with a Mark III membrane containment system developed by GTT and a dual-fuel main engine capable of using ethane as fuel. After delivery, it will be used to transport liquefied ethane from the United States to India. Both VLECs have 15-year long-term charter contracts with India’s state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).