DISC will take four 200,000cbm LNGC orders?

From Hudong Zhonghua‘s single to five shipyards “competing”, from a few ships a year to more than half a year of nearly 30 orders, as the delivery schedule of LNG ships from South Korean shipbuilding is full; the former loyalty South Korean, European shipowners have begun to turn to Chinese shipyards to place orders, and the rapid rise of Chinese shipyards in the field of LNG Carrier and their ability to grab orders has finally made the once “carefree” Korean shipbuilding industry feel huge pressure.

Dynagas orders up to four 200,000m3 LNG carriers, will DSIC take orders?

According to trade wind news, Greek shipowner Dynagas is about to sign a letter of intent for the construction of 2+2 200,000cbm ultra-large LNG carriers with DSIC. The company will cooperate with a Chinese leasing company to complete the order. It is expected that the new ship will be completed in 2026. Evening or 2027 delivery.

Clarksons data shows that the current offer for a 174,000cbm LNG carrier has risen to $242 million. It is said that the price of LNG ships provided by Chinese shipbuilding is about $235 million US dollars, but the size of the new ships ordered by Dynagas reaches 200,000 cubic meters, so the cost will increase.

Like South Korean shipbuilding, Chinese shipbuilding is also increasingly tight in the delivery of LNG ships, so it is not ruled out that Chinese shipbuilding’s quotations may be raised. However, considering that the Dynagas contract is expected to be the first LNG ship export order for DSIC, this may give shipowners a little room for negotiation.

Dynagas had previously ordered a total of nine 200,000cbm LNG carriers with Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, two of which have been delivered and seven are under construction and scheduled to be delivered between 2023 and 2025. According to Clarkson‘s data, the company currently operates 13 ships in its fleet. Except for 2 LNG floating storage and regasification units (FSRU) built by Hudong Zhonghua, the remaining 11 large LNG carriers are all built by South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries Group and Daewoo Shipbuilding Construction. 

If the Dynagas order is finalized, it will not only be the first LNG ship export contract of DSIC, but also the largest LNG ship built by DSIC and even China’s shipbuilding industry. Previously, Hudong Zhonghua, the only Chinese company with experience in delivering large-scale LNG ships, built mostly 174,000cbm of LNG ships.

According to the International Shipbuilding Network, in March this year, DSIC signed a construction contract for 2+2 large-scale LNG ships of 175,000 cubic meters with China Merchants Shipbuilding, becoming the third company in China to receive orders for large-scale LNG ships after Hudong Zhonghua and Jiangnan Shipbuilding.

In recent years, DSIC has made every effort to enter the LNG ship market, and has completed the research and development of large-scale LNG ships, including the research and development of ship types, construction and testing technology, engineering management technology, and simulation tank construction technology, and has fully mastered the research and development and design of large-scale LNG ships and the construction of real ships. The advanced technology and management technology have laid a solid foundation for undertaking large-scale LNG carriers.

Over the years, DSIC has joined hands with GTT and a number of classification societies, through continuous research and development and optimization, based on NO.96 and MARK III technologies, respectively, and has completed the research and development of multi-type products such as 140,000cbm, 150,000cbm, and 210,000cbm have been recognized by GTT and classification societies. At the same time, DSIC has also successfully completed the construction of the world’s largest NO.96 LNG carrier simulation cabin and the world’s first fully enclosed MARK III LNG carrier mock-up tank, which has won the approval of GTT and the world’s mainstream classification societies.

The rapid rise of Chinese shipbuilding enterprises! South Korean shipping companies: not yet to the point of concern

Dynagas is not the first European shipowner to switch to China. Earlier it was reported that, due to the difficulty of Korean ship companies to provide suitable delivery schedules, Danish shipowner Celsius Tankers is negotiating with Yangzijiang Shipbuilding and China Merchants Industry, hoping to order as many as 10-12 large LNG ships. Since Celsius Tankers entered the LNG carrier market in 2018, all 13 large LNG carriers ordered were built by Samsung Heavy Industries of South Korea.

Korean shipbuilders said that in addition to earlier delivery times, Chinese shipbuilders are also price-competitive, with the price per vessel 15-20% lower than that of South Korea. Against this background, European shipowners who had been booking ships in South Korea are now moving to China. At present, Chinese shipbuilding companies have received orders for nearly 30 LNG ships this year, of which 26 are large LNG ships, which has exceeded the 14 orders received by China for LNG ships in the whole of last year, and the gap between China and South Korea is greatly narrowing.

In this regard, the Korean industry believes that due to the large gap in technical strength between China and South Korea, it is not yet to the extent of worrying about China’s pursuit. An analysis of Korean shipbuilding and marine-related person, the secondary holding company of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group in charge of shipbuilding business, said: “The LNG ship market is already very good, so Chinese shipyards have also received orders, but China’s construction experience is less, and it has not reached the level of concern.”

However, some people in the Korean industry believe that if the construction record of Chinese shipbuilding companies gradually accumulates, the competitiveness may also increase, so it should be considered not to let South Korea lose its dominance in the LNG ship market. Some Korean experts believe: “By 2030, the quality and performance of Chinese-built LNG carriers may be recognized by the market.”

Thanks to the large number of LNG ship orders released by the Qatar LNG project, the number of LNG ship orders in the world so far this year has reached 124, which is also the highest level in the same period since Clarkson counted the number of LNG ship orders in 2000. Among them, as many as 120 are large LNG ships of 174,000cbm and above. According to Clarkson‘s data, South Korea’s three major shipbuilding have received orders for 94 large LNG carriers this year, including 38 from Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, 28 from Daewoo Shipbuilding, and 28 from Samsung Heavy Industries. It is worth mentioning that about half of the 94 orders came from Qatar’s “Hundred Ships Plan”.

At present, the shipyards of the three major Korean shipbuilding are full. For ship owners, even if they sign LNG ship construction contracts with Korean shipbuilding, they will not be delivered until 4-5 years later. According to a senior executive of a Korean shipbuilding, more than 10 shipowners are currently waiting for the release of LNG ship slots in 2026, and how coordinating the order of orders is the main problem facing Korean shipbuilding.

In addition, under the current situation that decarbonization has become a global trend and international geopolitical turmoil, orders for LNG ships are expected to continue to increase. The Korea Export-Import Bank (KEXIM), based on the “New Momentum” plan recently released by the multinational energy company BP, predicts that the global LNG trading volume will increase by 4.3% annually until 2035. In 2030, the number of new ship orders for LNG ships in the world will continue to maintain a high level. This also means that Chinese shipyards are expected to receive more orders in the future, and the competition between the Chinese and Korean shipbuilding industries in the field of LNG ships will become more intense.

Source: eworldship

大船再抢4艘20万方LNG船？中国船厂快速崛起

从沪东中华“单打独斗”到5家船厂“群雄逐鹿”，从一年几艘到半年多近30艘订单，随着韩国船企LNG船交付船期爆满，曾经的韩国“死忠”欧洲船东开始纷纷转向中国船厂下单订船，而中国船厂在LNG船领域的快速崛起和抢单能力也终于让曾经“无忧无虑”的韩国造船业感受到了巨大的压力。

Dynagas订造最多4艘20万方LNG船，大船集团将接单？

据贸易风消息，希腊船东Dynagas即将与大船集团签署2+2艘20万立方米超大型LNG船建造意向书，该公司将与一家中国租赁公司合作完成这份订单，预计新船将在2026年晚间或2027年交付。

克拉克森的数据显示，目前一艘17.4万方LNG船的报价已经上涨到了2.42亿美元。据称中国船企提供的LNG船报价在2.35亿美元左右，不过Dynagas订造的新船规格达到20万立方米，因此成本会有所增加。

和韩国船企一样，目前中国船企LNG船交付船位也日趋紧张，因此不排除中国船企的报价可能会有所上调。但考虑到Dynagas的合同有望成为大船集团首份LNG船出口订单，这可能给船东一点谈判的余地。

Dynagas此前曾在现代重工集团订造过总计9艘20万立方米LNG船，其中2艘已经交付运营，另外7艘正在建造，计划在2023年至2025年交付。根据克拉克森的数据，该公司船队中现运营13艘船，除了2艘LNG浮式储存再气化装置（FSRU）由沪东中华建造之外，其余11艘大型LNG运输船均由韩国现代重工集团和大宇造船建造。

如果Dynagas的订单得以敲定，这不仅是大船集团首份LNG船出口合同，也将是大船集团乃至中国造船业建造的最大LNG船。此前，中国唯一有过大型LNG船交付经验的沪东中华，建造的LNG船大多为17.4万方级船。

据国际船舶网了解，大船集团在今年3月与招商轮船签署2+2艘17.5万立方米大型LNG船建造合同，成为继沪东中华和江南造船之后，中国第三家获得大型LNG船订单的船厂。

近年来，大船集团全力进军LNG船市场，先后完成了大型LNG船的船型研发、建造与试验技术、工程管理技术以及模拟舱建造技术的研究，已经完全掌握了大型LNG船研发设计、实船建造的工艺与管理技术，为承接大型LNG运输船奠定了坚实基础。

多年来，大船集团携手GTT和多家船级社，通过持续不断的研发和优化，分别基于NO.96和MARK III技术，已经完成14万立方米、15万立方米、17.5万立方米和 21万立方米等多型产品研发，得到了GTT和船级社方面的认可。与此同时，大船集团还先后完成了世界最大NO.96型LNG船模拟舱和全球首个全封闭式MARK III型LNG运输船模拟舱的建造，得到法国GTT专利公司以及全球主流船级社的认证。

中国船企快速崛起！韩国船企：还没有到担忧的程度

Dynagas并不是首家转投中国的欧洲船东。此前有消息称，由于韩国船企难以提供合适的交付船期，丹麦船东Celsius Tankers正在与扬子江船业和招商工业进行谈判，希望订造多达10-12艘大型LNG船。Celsius Tankers自2018年进军LNG船市场以来，所订造的13艘大型LNG船全部由韩国三星重工建造。

韩国造船业人士表示，除了交付时间较早之外，中国船企还具备价格竞争力，与韩国相比每艘船价格低15-20%。在这样的背景下，原本一直在韩国订船的欧洲船东正流向中国。目前，中国船企今年已经承接了近30艘LNG船订单，其中26艘为大型LNG船，这已经超过了去年全年中国LNG船接单量的14艘，中韩差距正在大幅缩小。

对此，韩国业界人士认为，由于中韩两国技术力量差距较大，目前还没有到担心中国追击的程度。现代重工集团负责造船业务的二级控股公司韩国造船海洋相关人士分析称：“LNG船市场本来就很好，因此中国船厂也接到了订单，但中国的建造经验较少，还没有达到令人担忧的程度。”

但也有韩国业界人士认为，如果中国船企的建造记录逐渐积累，竞争力也有可能上升，因此应该考虑不要让韩国失去LNG船市场的霸主地位。有韩国专家认为：“到2030年，中国建造的LNG船的质量和性能可能会得到市场认可。”

得益于卡塔尔LNG项目释放的大量LNG船订单，截至目前全球今年以来订造的LNG船订单已达124艘，这也是自2000年克拉克森统计LNG船订造量以来的同期最高水平。其中多达120艘为17.4万方及以上大型LNG船。根据克拉克森的数据，韩国三大船企今年承接了94艘大型LNG船订单，包括现代重工集团38艘、大宇造船28艘、三星重工28艘。值得一提的是， 这94艘订单中约有一半来自卡塔尔“百船计划”。

目前，韩国三大船企的船坞已满，对于船东而言即使与韩国船企签订LNG船建造合同，也要在4-5年之后才能交付。据韩国船企一名高层透露，目前有10多家船东在等待2026年LNG船船位的释放，而如何协调接单顺序，是目前韩国船企面临的主要难题。

另外，在目前脱碳化已成全球趋势、国际地缘政治动荡的形势下，预计LNG船的订单将会持续增加。韩国进出口银行（KEXIM）以跨国能源企业英国石油公司（BP）近期发布的“新动力(New Momentum)”方案为基础，预测到2035年的全球LNG交易量年均将增长4.3%，因此到2030年全球LNG船的新船订单量将持续保持较高水平。这也意味着，未来中国船厂有望接获更多的订单，中韩造船业在LNG船领域的竞争将变得更加激烈。

来源：国际船舶网