South Korean and Chinese shipbuilders are competing for very large ammonia carrier orders as demand grows for vessels designed to transport ammonia over long distances.
Shipowners publicly announced 40 VLAC orders worldwide between January and July 2026. South Korean shipbuilders secured 14 vessels, while Chinese yards won 26.
In South Korea, HD Hyundai Samho accounted for 11 of the orders announced during the period, while Hanwha Ocean secured three. The Chinese total included 14 vessels for Hengli Heavy Industries, 10 for Jiangnan Shipyard and two for Yangzijiang Shipbuilding.
HD Hyundai Samho‘s 11 vessels were ordered by Synergy Shipping, a joint-venture shipping company under Turkey’s Ciner Group, and Belgian shipowner Transpetrol. Synergy Shipping placed orders for nine vessels and Transpetrol for two, with deliveries planned from 2029 to 2030.
By the end of July 2026, HD Hyundai Samho had 22 VLACs on order. Together with the VLACs ordered at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, this gave HD Hyundai the largest VLAC orderbook among South Korean shipbuilders.
Hanwha Ocean received orders for three VLACs from UK-based Zodiac Maritime. Its total VLAC orderbook stood at 10 vessels at the end of April 2026.
Among Chinese yards, Hengli Heavy Industries secured the largest number of VLAC orders announced during the January-July period, with 14 vessels in the 88,000-cubic-meter and 93,000-cubic-meter classes.
Owners have been disclosed for 10 of those vessels. Greece’s Evalend, Dynacom and Capital each ordered two ships, while Dubai-based Emarat Maritime ordered four.
Hengli Heavy Industries also launched its first 93,000-cubic-meter VLAC on 23 June 2026. The vessel was built on a shipbuilding slipway, making it the first VLAC constructed and launched using that method instead of the dry-dock approach traditionally used for large gas carriers.
Jiangnan Shipyard secured 10 VLAC orders linked to East Pacific Shipping, Southwest Shipping, Thenamaris and CYH Shipping. Their respective orders cover two, two, two and four vessels, with deliveries planned between 2028 and 2030.
The yard delivered IVY COVE, China’s first 93,000-cubic-meter-class VLAC, on 10 June 2026. The vessel uses Jiangnan’s Panda 93A design, which was developed from the shipyard’s fourth-generation VLGC design.
The delivery of IVY COVE came about one month before HD Hyundai Samho delivered Jane Maersk, a VLAC of the same specifications, to Maersk.
Yangzijiang Shipbuilding is building two 88,000-cubic-meter-class VLACs for UK shipowner Union Maritime. Delivery of the first vessel is planned for 2029, followed by the second in 2030.
Demand for VLACs is rising as ammonia attracts interest both as a marine fuel and as a hydrogen carrier, with hydrogen converted into ammonia for transportation.
The International Energy Agency’s Roadmap to Carbon Neutrality by 2050 projects ammonia fuel’s share of shipping at 8% in 2030 and 46% in 2050. Competition between South Korean and Chinese shipbuilders is therefore also expected to extend to ammonia-fueled vessels.
