Eyal Ofer's Zodiac Maritime has signed a newbuilding contract worth close to $1bn at China's Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore (CIMC Raffles).

The Yantai-based shipyard disclosed Zodiac ordered four firm LNG dual-fuel, 7,000-ceu pure car truck carriers (PCTC). The contract includes options for several more vessels.

The firm newbuildings are scheduled to be delivered from the end of 2023 into 2024.