Almost half of the newly minted very large ammonia carrier orderbook is owned by companies new to the LPG shipping sector, according to Clarksons Research.

Researcher Oliver Stavrinidis said companies such as George Economou’s TMS Cardiff Gas and Evangelos Marinakis’ Capital Gas have been muscling in on a sector that only saw its first order placed last May.

LNG carrier power Nakilat and tanker pools player Maersk Tankers have also made their moves.