Fleet expansion
As a first part of this expansion, the company reported that it had entered into two contracts for 162,000m3 newbuildings with fixed priced options for a further two with the South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. The vessels will be delivered in the third and the fourth quarter of 2014, respectively.
The total cost of the two vessels, which will be equipped with tri-fuel diesel-electric engines, exceeds USD 400 million.
Chairman John Fredriksen says: "We are excited to see the rapid developments in the LNG market. We clearly see LNG as one of the key parts in the future energy supply chain. The increased flexibility provided by floating production and regas solutions has transformed the LNG industry and made it significantly more competitive versus other energy types. The large global spreads in gas prices, the high growth in trade, and the tight availability of shipping gives this investment a solid foundation."
Golar said it was now uniquely positioned with a total of 13 modern LNG carriers including two FSRUs available for trading in the period 2012-2014.
