Union Maritime orders two VLACs from China's Yangzijiang Shipbuilding

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 19, UK shipowner Union Maritime has been confirmed as the buyer of an order for two 88,000-cubic-meter Very Large Ammonia Carriers (VLACs) placed with China's Yangzijiang Shipbuilding. The two vessels will be built at Jingjiang Xinyangzi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., with hull numbers 1787 and 1788, scheduled for delivery in 2029 and 2030 respectively. The contract value has not been disclosed.

Union Maritime lists the two new vessels as Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGCs) on its fleet page, with a deadweight tonnage of 55,000 tonnes each. Yangzijiang Shipbuilding's interim results for the first half of 2026, however, show that the two gas carriers the company secured during the period were both 88,000-cubic-meter VLACs. As of the end of June, Yangzijiang Shipbuilding's order book for the same type of VLACs had increased to six vessels.

This order brings Union Maritime's large gas carrier newbuild portfolio to four vessels. The company's fleet page also lists two 55,000-deadweight-tonne VLGCs built by South Korea's HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, with hull numbers 3673 and 3674, both scheduled for delivery in 2029.

Yangzijiang Shipbuilding has previously built tankers for Union Maritime. In January 2026, Xinyangzi Shipbuilding delivered the 114,000-deadweight-tonne LNG dual-fuel product tanker "SPA" to the company, which is also equipped with two sets of wind-assisted propulsion devices.