Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s (ADNOC) shipping and logistics arm ADNOC Logistics & Services (ADNOC L&S) has exercised an option for two further 175,000 cu m LNG carriers at China’s Jiangnan Shipyard, further growing its LNG newbuilding portfolio.
The two vessels form part of a 4+2 contract signed between ADNOC L&S and Jiangnan Shipyard in July 2026. The contract is for six LNG carriers and all are to be delivered in 2029.
The two new ships ordered represent a combined investment of some US $444 million, and are expected to be operated under long term charter contracts.
The latest contract builds on a long-standing relationship between ADNOC L&S and Jiangnan Shipyard in the industry of shipbuilding. Before the 4+2 LNG carrier agreement, the two companies had ordered six 175,000-cbm LNG carriers, nine very large ethane carriers (VLECs), four very large ammonia carriers (VLACs) and five very large gas carriers (VLGCs) to establish a broad and large-scale newbuilding program.
The LNG carrier, with a capacity of 175,000 cu m, was designed in-house by Jiangnan Shipbuilding based on the yard’s latest generation of green and intelligent ocean-going LNG transport concept. The design is intended to improve the general performance of the vessel, while also providing quantifiable reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions.
The ships will also feature Jiangnan’s proprietary JNIS smart ship platform. The shipyard said the design is compatible with more than 160 LNG import terminals and floating LNG facilities worldwide.
ADNOC L&S has been increasing its investment in LNG shipping in recent years using a dual-source shipbuilding strategy involving both Chinese and South Korean yards.
The company also has eight state-of-the-art LNG carriers being built at South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean and Samsung Heavy Industries, in addition to its collaboration with Jiangnan Shipyard. All eight are secured on 20-year long-term charter agreements with ADNOC Gas, providing the company with stable LNG transportation capacity long term. Deliveries of these vessels are scheduled to start in 2028.
ADNOC Logistics & Services is also growing its wider energy shipping fleet through large scale vessel acquisitions. The company unveiled a $1.3 billion fleet expansion program to further support its capacity to meet regional energy transportation needs.
The program includes 11 second-hand vessels and newbuild resales. Fleet expansion consists of three VLGCs and six VLCCs to be delivered in the third quarter of the year and two additional VLGCs to be handed over in the fourth quarter.
Jiangnan Shipyard also had a record year, helped by the expanded ADNOC L&S orderbook. The Chinese yard has booked 16 large LNG carrier newbuilding orders so far in 2026, the yard’s highest annual total to date.
