Two gas carrier newbuildings scheduled for delivery in 2029 have been linked to UK shipowner Union Maritime, which is continuing to broaden its vessel portfolio beyond its established tanker operations.
Shipping databases and market sources associate the company with the VLGC/VLAC pair at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. The vessels have a reported combined value of about $234 million.
Neither Union Maritime nor HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has publicly confirmed the buyer’s identity. Union Maritime has also not verified the reported price.
A confirmed order would represent the company’s first move into the large gas carrier sector. Earlier market reports linked Union Maritime to LPG carrier contracts at Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2020, but those orders were not finalized.
The latest reported project follows an expansion of the owner’s dry bulk interests. Brokers have also associated Union Maritime with up to four 215,000 dwt newcastlemax newbuildings at Wuhu Shipyard in China.
The company’s official website currently displays a fleet of 112 vessels and states that it owns and charters more than 70 ships. Its operations include crude oil, chemical and petroleum product transportation, while its commercial management business also handles third-party assets.
The VLGC/VLAC pair would add gas carriers to a newbuilding program that market reports say already includes tankers and large bulk carriers. Until either company issues a confirmation, the vessels remain a market-reported order attributed to Union Maritime.
