ADNOC Logistics & Services (ADNOC L&S), the shipping and maritime logistics subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), the UAE’s energy giant, plans to order up to six liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers in an effort to accelerate its entry into the global natural gas trading market.
In a recent interview, Abdulkareem Al Masabi, CEO of ADNOC L&S, stated that the company plans to order four to six LNG carriers to support its expanding international business.
ADNOC L&S emphasized that the order for these LNG carriers is expected to be placed within the year, but the potential cost has not yet been disclosed. These new vessels will supplement ADNOC L&S’s existing fleet of 14 LNG carriers already contracted to serve UAE export projects.
This fleet expansion underscores ADNOC’s strategic plan to build a global gas asset portfolio. As the UAE positions gas as a strategic pillar of its economic growth, ADNOC’s international investment arm, XRG, continues to acquire stakes in overseas gas fields and export projects, and sign supply agreements. Furthermore, the expanded fleet will give ADNOC greater flexibility, enabling it to sell cargoes in international markets rather than solely relying on long-term contracts.
Currently, ADNOC L&S is continuously increasing its LNG carrier purchases to cope with the growing domestic export capacity. The company expects to receive two LNG carriers in 2026, which, together with the four already delivered, will all transport natural gas from the existing export terminal on Das Island in Abu Dhabi; another eight will serve the Ruwais LNG terminal under construction on the Gulf coast, which is scheduled to be completed in 2028.
It is understood that ADNOC L&S ordered six 175,000 cubic meter LNG carriers from Jiangnan Shipyard in 2022, and Jiangnan Shipyard became the first shipyard in China to undertake the construction of the MARK III membrane-type large LNG carrier thanks to ADNOC L&S’s first order.
Meanwhile, ADNOC L&S’s first batch of new vessels is also China’s first order in the field of large LNG carriers for the purely international market, pioneering a new era of direct cooperation between Chinese shipyards and international oil and gas companies in the construction of large LNG carriers.
As of December 10, 2025, Jiangnan Shipyard had delivered four LNG carriers to ADNOC L&S. The fourth vessel is the “AL SADAF”. The fifth and sixth vessels in the series are currently under construction smoothly and systematically.
In 2024, ADNOC L&S further expanded into the LNG carrier newbuilding market, placing orders for 4+1 LNG carriers with Hanwha Ocean and Samsung Heavy Industries, with a total value exceeding US$2.5 billion. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in August 2028, and the carriers will be leased to ADNOC subsidiaries on a regular basis for 20 years to support the growing volume of natural gas exports.
The launch of up to six LNG carriers is expected to spark fierce competition for orders among Chinese and South Korean shipyards.