ADNOC Logistics & Services (ADNOC L&S), a subsidiary of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), is reportedly preparing a new round of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier construction projects and will reportedly place an order with a Chinese shipyard with which it has previously collaborated.
Tradewinds reports that ADNOC L&S plans to order four large LNG carriers from Jiangnan Shipyard, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation. The shipbuilding contract is expected to be formally signed within the next few days, with delivery scheduled for 2029.
It is understood that ADNOC L&S’s cooperation with Jiangnan Shipyard began in 2022, when the two companies signed a contract to build six 175,000 cubic meter Mark III Flex membrane LNG carriers, with the shipowner stating that the total order value was approximately $1.2 billion. The first two ships were unveiled in March 2022. With this order, Jiangnan Shipyard became the first shipyard in China to undertake the construction of MARK Ⅲ membrane large LNG carriers, and pioneered the direct cooperation between Chinese shipyards and international oil and gas companies in the field of large LNG carrier construction.
On April 23, 2026, Jiangnan Shipyard announced the delivery of its sixth 175,000 cubic meter Mark III Flex membrane LNG carrier, the “AL TAWEELAH,” to ADNOC L&S. This marks the successful completion of China’s first large Mark III Flex membrane LNG carrier project, with the first vessel in the series delivered on November 25, 2024.
Currently, ADNOC L&S is accelerating its fleet expansion and modernization to meet customers’ needs for reliable transportation of energy and essential goods.
In addition to the six newly built LNG carriers already delivered, ADNOC L&S has several Very Large Ethane (VLEC) and Very Large Ammonia (VLAC) carriers under construction at Jiangnan Shipyard. These gas carriers were ordered by AW Shipping, a joint venture between ADNOC L&S and Wanhua Chemical, and include nine 99,000 cubic meter VLECs and four 93,000 cubic meter VLACs.
According to order information at the time, AW Shipping ordered 13 gas carriers with a total value of approximately $1.9 billion, including 9 VLECs worth approximately $1.4 billion, with deliveries expected between 2025 and 2027; and 4 VLACs worth approximately US$500 million, with deliveries expected between 2026 and 2028. As of October 10, 2025, Jiangnan Shipyard had delivered 2 99,000 cubic meter VLECs to AW Shipping.
In addition to the gas carrier project with Jiangnan Shipyard, ADNOC L&S also holds orders for 4+1 large LNG carriers with Samsung Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean, respectively, with a total value of approximately $2.5 billion, scheduled for delivery starting in August 2028.
From the shipyard’s perspective, if the ADNOC L&S order is successfully finalized, it will be Jiangnan Shipyard’s third publicly announced LNG carrier construction contract in 2026, increasing its annual LNG carrier order volume to 10 vessels.
So far this year, Jiangnan Shipyard has received orders for two LNG carriers from East Pacific Shipping (EPS) in Singapore, marking the first publicly announced LNG carrier order from a Chinese shipyard in 2026. It has also received orders for four LNG carriers from Minsheng Financial Leasing, expected to be delivered between 2028 and 2029, at which time they will be chartered long-term by Shell (Singapore) Trading Co., Ltd.
In addition to the six LNG carriers, Jiangnan Shipyard has also undertaken orders for 12 18,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container ships and six VLACs this year.