Shipowners selected by Malaysian giant Petronas have inked deals on 11 LNG carrier newbuildings worth almost $2.5bn in total.

Sources following the project said South Korean shipowner SK Shipping has been lined up to sign contracts for a quartet of LNG newbuildings at Hyundai Heavy Industries, H-Line Shipping for three vessels at Samsung Heavy Industries, and a Japanese owner — thought to be K Line — for four ships with Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) in China.