Newbuilding orders for large-size LNG carriers totalled 60 confirmed vessels at the close of 2018, with the tally further boosted by a rash of smaller-size ships for trading and bunker operations.

All of the orders were placed at the three major South Korean shipbuilders, with Hyundai Heavy Industries taking the lion’s share with 23, and DSME and Samsung Heavy Industries tying with 18 ships each.