Greek shipowner TMS Cardiff Gas has added fresh LNG carrier tonnage to its orderbook， with an agreement for up to six newbuildings at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in China.

The George Economou-led company is understood to have signed up for four firm 174，000 cbm LNG carriers， with options for a further two.

No contract price or delivery window has been disclosed. The latest comparable LNG carrier deal at the Shanghai-based yard saw Nigeria’s Bonny Gas Transport pay around $248m per ship， with deliveries stretching from 2029 to 2030.

The ships will be built to Hudong-Zhonghua’s fifth-generation “Changheng Series” LNG carrier design. With the latest contract， the global orderbook for this vessel type has climbed to 45 units.

Hudong-Zhonghua says the design has been further refined， adding ice-class capability alongside a package of low-carbon and energy-saving features. The vessels will be fitted with GTT’s NO96 Super+ containment system and are designed to cut carbon emissions by more than 10 tonnes per sailing day， while maintaining low boil-off rates and wide operational flexibility.

The order adds to TMS Cardiff Gas’ recent LNG carrier bookings at Samsung Heavy Industries late last year. Economou has also been active across other segments， securing VLCC slots at Hengli Heavy Industry and ordering a series of 11，400-teu neo-panamax containerships， underlining a broad newbuilding push across tankers， gas and boxes.