The pace of LNG newbuild deliveries will smash records this year, beating the previous annual gas ship delivery peak of 2021 by 48%.
Data from Clarksons Research shows 89 LNG ships – with a combined 14.9 cu m capacity – are due to deliver this year, more than double the 10-year average, representing a 48% increase on the current record of 10.1m cu m delivered three years ago.
Another year of very firm deliveries is expected in 2025, with 14.5m cu m initially projected to hit the water, while 131 vessels of 22.9m cu m are already on order for 2026-2027 delivery.
“With c.90% of vessels on order already committed to projects, although project slippage is always a risk, expectations remain for record start -ups and rapid trade growth across 2025-27 to absorb strong deliveries as the sector enters a major phase of expansion,” Clarksons noted in its most recent weekly report.
LNG carriers delivering every four days this year is only trumped by one other sector.
In 2024, 478 containerships with a capacity of 3.1m teu are scheduled for delivery, according to data from BIMCO. Extrapolating the BIMCO data shows 1.31 boxship newbuilds are delivering each day, every day this year.