Denmark’s Maersk Tankers has called options on four very large ammonia carrier (VLAC) newbuilds at Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries in South Korea.
The move firms up eight out of 10 93,000 cu m ships the subsidiary of AP Moller Holding signed up for at the yard in December.
The first four vessels, costing around $432m in total and in which Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co joined in as a co-investor, should start delivering in 2026.
The latest quartet is due for delivery by July 2028 at nearly $117m each, according to a stock exchange filing by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), which oversees South Korean shipbuilding giant HD Hyundai.
Maersk Tankers re-entered the gas sector in 2023, 10 years after selling the business, and today provides voyage management services for a growing fleet of about 30 very large gas carriers. The company’s VLAC newbuilds will be among the largest carriers in operation, capable of carrying a full cargo of ammonia.
