South Korean company KSOE received an order for 10 gas carriers

The South Korean company KSOE (Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering) has received an order for the construction of 10 tankers for the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for $ 2.2 billion. The deal may be related to an oil and gas corporation from Qatar. This was reported on Thursday by the Yonhap news agency, citing sources.

According to the reports provided to the regulator, one of KSOE's subsidiaries will build eight gas carriers for a shipping company from Europe, two more tankers will be produced by another division for a transport company from Oceania. The contract is scheduled to be executed by the second half of 2026.

KSOE did not specify which organization placed the order. But agency sources in the industry indicate that the new contract is probably related to a major deal between three shipbuilding companies in South Korea (KSOE, Samsung Heavy Industries and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering) with Qatar state oil and gas corporation Qatar Energy (Qatar Energy). According to that agreement, over 100 tankers will be built for the corporation until 2027.

Qatar is the largest LNG producer, Yonhap writes. The country's authorities plan to increase LNG production from the current 77 million tons per year to 126 million tons by 2027. This year, KSOE received orders for the construction of 137 ships (34 of them LNG tankers) in the amount of $ 17.34 billion, coming close to the target for the year of $ 17.44 billion.

On Wednesday, the Yonhap news agency, citing sources, reported that KSOE could refuse contracts for the construction of three tankers for a Russian company in favor of a shipping company from Oceania.