Asian shipyards expand LNG carrier portfolios

Officials from major Asian LNG carrier shipyards at Gastech 2009 have said that, while 2009 has been a quiet year so far, they are confident that 2010 will see an upturn in orders, especially from clients looking for floating storage and regasification units (FSRU). Chan Won Moon, who works for the shipbuilding department of Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), spoke optimistically of the LNG build sector.

“HHI are the world?s biggest shipbuilder and enjoy 15% of new build market share,” he said. “At the moment the new building market as a whole is not really active, but the LNG industry is different. This week we have had a lot of interest from clients who are interested in FSRUs. It?s a new concept, but we think that it is going to be a very popular product for us,” Won Moon added.