Samsung Heavy Industries taps GTT for tank design of 15 new LNGCs

French LNG containment specialist GTT has received an order from its partner, the Korean shipyard Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), for the tank design of 15 new liquefied natural gas carriers (LNGCs).

According to GTT, the order was received in early 2024 on behalf of a “leading” LNG player.

GTT will design the tanks of these 15 vessels, which will each offer a capacity of 174,000 m3 and will be fitted with the Mark III Flex membrane containment system developed by GTT.

The delivery of the vessels is scheduled between the fourth quarter of 2026 and the fourth quarter of 2028.

To note, over the past year, GTT secured multiple orders from Samsung Heavy Industries, with the most recent one being for the tank design of one LNGC. This vessel will be built on behalf of a Japanese shipowner and its delivery is scheduled for the third quarter of 2026.

Other orders are for tank designs of five new LNGCs, made on behalf of several international shipowners, and two LNGCs on behalf of an Asian shipowner.

In 2023, the two parties also collaborated on the development of new innovative LNG carriers and containerships. In May, SHI unveiled its “3 Cargo Tank LNGC” and “Eco Container Ship” products, noting that the “3 Cargo Tank LNGC” is designed to increase efficiency and that the method makes it possible to improve the boil-off rate by more than 5%. The design method was jointly developed with GTT.