Pareto Securities is expecting major growth from John Fredriksen’s Flex LNG in an industry that will require over 100 new vessels during the next five years.

Analysts Eirik Haavaldsen and Oystein Dalby today launched coverage of Oslo-listed Flex with a buy rating, suggesting the company had yet to experience the typical premium associated with Fredriksen’s public companies.

“The four-ship company is small today, but with Fredriksen-backing and market-momentum over the next 12-18 months we expect heavy growth ahead,” the pair wrote in an introductory report.