STX Offshore & Shipbuilding and STX Dalian win orders for a total of 6 products tankers, valued at $200 in total.
STX O&S contracted with the US owner Alterna for two 50,000-dwt tankers with delivery for the second quarter 2013, and optional two more vessels.
STX Dalian also inked an order for four 50,000-dwt tankers to be delivered one by one from the third quarter 2014 from Tanker Pacific of Singapore, with additional four more.
If a total of six optional vessels are contracted afterwards, then the contract values would reach to $400m.
With significant amount of cracking facilities scheduled to start operation in 2014-2015, from 2012 to 2013, about overall 30m dwt of MR tankers are expected to be newly ordered, which comes to 650 vessels in numerical term, on basis of 50,000-dwt and exceeds $20bn in value term.
Meanwhile, STX has contracted a total of 12 MR tankers, totalling $400m year-to-date.
Spokesperson from STX said, "As demand for commercial ship is likely to grow, STX O&S and STX Dalian will steadily contract for commercial ship as well as LNG/LPG carriers, etc."