Samsung SAVER Air concept design. Credit: Samsung Heavy Industries Co Ltd.

South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has secured a contract from Celsius Tankers to build a pair of 180,00m³ liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.

The deal also includes an option for two additional vessels.

Each of the newly ordered vessels are priced $187m and will feature a Mark-Ⅲ Flex-type containment system with re-liquefaction to reduce boil-off rates (BORs).

The vessels will be equipped with a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and ballast water treatment system (BWTS) to comply with related environmental regulations.

The vessels will also include several fuel-saving technologies such as optimised hull design and propulsion customised as per Celsius Tankers’ operational needs.

The carriers will also feature SHI’s air lubrication system SAVER Air, becoming the world’s first LNGCs to be equipped with the system.

“Air lubrication systems are energy-saving equipment that sprays air at the bottom of the ship to form an air layer between the hull surface and sea water to reduce frictional force.”

SHI in a statement said: “Air lubrication systems are energy-saving equipment that sprays air at the bottom of the ship to form an air layer between the hull surface and sea water to reduce frictional force.

“SHI has previously applied SAVER in 23,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) mega containership order for MSC in 2017, proving exceptional technological competence by overcoming limits of friction-reducing technologies for ships, and achieving fuel-savings rarely available in containerships.”

So far this year, SHI has secured a $3.3bn order for a total of 31 vessels, which include seven LNG carriers, eight containerships, 13 tankers, and three special purpose ships.

Clarksons Research has estimated that gas carrier and containership newbuilding orders are expected to increase the global economy and seaborne trade growth.