CSSC Jiangnan Shipyard has once again earned market recognition for its capabilities in building liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers. Jiangnan Shipyard has signed its second LNG carrier construction contract this year with its long-standing client, Abu Dhabi National Oil Logistics Services (ADNOC L&S).
On August 25, ADNOC L&S announced that it had exercised an option with Jiangnan Shipyard to finalize the construction of two 175,000 m³ LNG carriers. The total value of the latest order is $444 million, which works out to approximately $222 million per vessel. The new vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2029 and are expected to be used for long-term charter operations.
Including the latest order that has taken effect, ADNOC L&S has ordered six 175,000 m³ LNG carriers from Jiangnan Shipyard this year, with a total contract value of $1.344 billion. The first LNG carrier order between the two parties this year was announced on July 10, including four vessels worth $900 million, which are also scheduled for delivery in 2029.
As a long-standing client of Jiangnan Shipyard, ADNOC L&S has already taken delivery of all six LNG carriers it previously ordered from the shipbuilder, and several Very Large Ethane Carriers (VLECs), Very Large Ammonia Carriers (VLACs), and Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGCs) are currently under construction.
To date, Jiangnan Shipyard has secured orders for 16 LNG carriers for delivery between 2028 and 2030. The shipowners include Eastern Pacific Shipping (2 vessels), Minsheng Financial Leasing (4 vessels), COSCO SHIPPING Energy (4 vessels), and ADNOC L&S (6 vessels); all are 175,000-cubic-meter vessels.
In terms of the overall orderbook, Jiangnan Shipyard has publicly announced 40 new vessel orders (including letters of intent) for the 2026 timeframe, primarily comprising large containerships and gas carriers. In addition to the 16 LNG carriers, the lineup includes 12 18,000-TEU containerships for COSCO SHIPPING Holdings, 2 VLACs for Eastern Pacific Shipping, 2 VLACs for Tianjin Southwest Maritime, 2 VLACs for Greece’s Thenamaris, and 4+2 VLGC/VLACs for CYH Shipping.
On the shipowner side, including this latest investment, ADNOC L&S has committed over $2.6 billion this year to vessel acquisitions and newbuild projects.
In addition to the LNG carrier newbuild project, ADNOC L&S announced in early August an investment of $1.3 billion to acquire five VLGCs and six VLCCs. Nine of these vessels (six VLCCs and three VLGCs) are secondhand acquisitions scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2026, with immediate entry into service upon handover; the remaining two VLGCs are newbuild resales—constructed by Chinese shipyards—scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2026.
With the unveiling of these additional vessels, the LNG carrier fleet of ADNOC L&S has grown to 24 ships, comprising four older vessels, six new-generation LNG carriers delivered since the fourth quarter of 2024, and 14 vessels currently under construction.
ADNOC L&S stated that these new vessels are a key component of the company’s ongoing fleet expansion program, designed to meet the growing transport demands of the LNG market and support ADNOC’s expanding international energy operations.