The New York-listed owner has exercised options for two173,000-cbm ships at Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) for delivery in 2016, confirming an announcement by the SouthKorea yard earlier today.

As part of the deal the company has taken on options forfour more ships bringing its tally of options to five including one left overfrom the original order.

The decision comes little more than a month after TGP tiedup the first two vessels ordered at DSME in December.

Cheniere Marketing is taking both ships on five-yearcharters from delivery in the first half of 2016.

And Teekay LNG boss says the company is confident of findinga taker for its latest two ships which will also use the fuel efficient M-type,electronically-controlled, gas-injection (MEGI) propulsion system.

"The delivery of these two additional vessels is timedto coincide with the next wave of increased demand for LNG carriers which isexpected when a large number of new LNG export projects come on-streamcommencing from late-2015," Evensen said.

"Our recently announced charter contracts with CheniereEnergy for the first two MEGI LNG carrier newbuildings, ordered in December2012, are a good example of the contract opportunities available in the LNGshipping market and the attractiveness of these vessels with the newfuel-efficient MEGI engines.

He added: “Given the strong fundamental outlook in LNGshipping, combined with the optimized design of these vessels, we are confidentin our ability to secure fixed-rate charter contracts for these additional twonewbuildings, which will provide Teekay LNG with further visiblebuilt-in growth.

“Furthermore, the new options we secured to order up to fiveadditional LNG carrier newbuildings should provide the Partnership with acompetitive advantage for the various LNG projects we are pursuing."