Work commence on the first two of seven VLGCs in South Korea

April 14 2025 was a memorable day in Solvang's history, as the steel was cut for the two first hulls in the Panamax VLGC newbuilding series planned for delivery in 2026 and 2027.

The steel cutting took place at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries at Ulsan Republic of Korea, where all the seven ordered newbuildings will be constructed.

Carbon capture-ready

Hulls 3458 and 3459 are both scheduled for delivery in 2026, with a capacity of 88,000 cbm.

The newbuildings will have state-of-the-art hull ECO lines, and the Solvang ECO package will be fully implemented.

The vessels will be OCCS-ready, set up with Solvang's total emission control system comprising low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation, hybrid exhaust gas cleaning (Wärtsilä Scrubber), with water treatment in both open and closed loop, and electrostatic filter (WESP) which removes up to 95 percent of particles from the exhaust stream. The vessels have one extra deck to provide space for on-deck CO2 tanks, larger auxiliary engine and boiler capacity, as well as extra acccommodation for personnel.

Multi-option single-fuel system

In stead of dual-fuel, the vessels will be equipped with a single-liquid fuel system. Given the total emission control capabilities, the setup is suitable for both conventional HFO, low-sulphur fuel oil, MGO, bio-fuels, or e-fuels.

"These vessels are built to comply with radical GHG  emission requirements using onboard CSS, they maintain the competitive advantages of efficient conventional fuel operation, or they can operate on zero-emission e-fuels," states fleet director Tor Øyvind Ask in Solvang.