China shipyards feast on record LNG tanker orders as South Korea builders are full up

Summary Summary Companies Chinese yards win nearly 30% of this year’s record orders Order books for Chinese yards triple as LNG freight soars Steep learning curves for shipbuilders new to LNG China needs vessels to ship U.S. LNG for energy security SINGAPORE, Dec 12 (Reuters) – China is making fast inroads in the market for newbuild liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers as local and foreign shipowners turn to its shipbuilders for the specialty vessels because long dominant yards in South Korea are fully booked. Three Chinese shipyards – only one of them having experience building large LNG tankers – won…