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ADNOC Logistics & Services placed an order for four new liquefied natural gas carriers with Jiangnan Shipyard, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, according to industry reports. The vessels are expected to be formally contracted within days and delivered in 2029. This addition forms the latest step in the Abu Dhabi-based company’s multi-year fleet expansion programme that has already seen multiple new-build deliveries from the same yard.
The company took delivery of Al Sadaf, the fourth of six new-build LNG carriers from Jiangnan Shipyard, in December 2025, ADNOC L&S reported at the time. Those 175,000-cubic-metre vessels were delivered ahead of schedule in some cases, with the final two from that series due in the first half of 2026. The new order builds directly on that series and incorporates similar design features focused on efficiency and lower emissions.
ADNOC aims to lift its LNG production capacity from the current 6 million tonnes per annum to 15 million tonnes per annum once the Ruwais terminal complex comes online in 2028, according to ADNOC statements. The new liquefaction trains at the facility will add substantial export volumes that will require additional specialised shipping capacity. ADNOC L&S functions as the group’s integrated maritime logistics provider, positioning the latest vessel order as direct support for those upstream growth plans.
Mordor Intelligence data shows the global LNG carriers market is valued at $16.62 billion in 2026 and is projected to reach $23.19 billion by 2031, expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 6.89 percent. Rising Asian demand, Qatar’s North Field developments and stricter International Maritime Organization efficiency standards are sustaining high utilisation rates above 90 percent. The current orderbook stands at roughly half the size of the active fleet, setting the stage for near-doubling of capacity over the coming decade, according to Riviera Maritime analysis.
ADNOC L&S had already moved to increase its LNG fleet from 14 vessels to at least 22 through 2024 orders placed in South Korea, the company said in statements at the time. Contracts worth $4.4 billion signed in November 2024 covered nine very large ethane carriers, additional LNG vessels and four very large ammonia carriers, WAM reported then. The cumulative programme reflects a deliberate shift toward long-term contracted revenue streams in energy logistics and low-carbon shipping.
The fresh quartet of carriers will adopt dual-fuel propulsion and advanced containment systems typical of Jiangnan’s recent output for ADNOC L&S, according to vessel specifications detailed in prior deliveries. Such designs have demonstrated methane emission reductions of up to 50 percent relative to earlier generations. Fleet data from the company indicate these additions will enhance its ability to service both ADNOC contracts and third-party charters in a tightening global LNG shipping market.
