Japanese shipowner NYK Line has signed up to build six LNG carrier newbuildings worth a total of CNY 8bn ($1.2bn) at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) in China against charters with China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC).

Revealing the deal, newbuilding players said the order prices the 174,000-cbm ships at over $201m each, which is nearly $5m more than the previous vessels for CNOOC at the yard but below the $220m figure being paid for LNG newbuildings in South Korea.