Celsius Tankers，a unit of Danish owner Celsius Shipping，has confirmed a shipbuilding contract with China Merchants Heavy Industry Jiangsu (CMHI) for four 180，000 cu m LNG carriers.

A deal，earlier reported by brokers at $235m apiece，marked the official entry of another Chinese yard into the LNG sector.

All four ships will go on long-term charters with Clearlake Shipping，a subsidiary of commodity trading giant Gunvor，once delivered in 2026 and 2027.

Celsius has formed a joint venture with an affiliate of Boston-based infrastructure investor ArcLight Capital Partners to fund two of the vessels. Gunvor will also have a significant stake in the other two newbuilds， which is the first for any independent LNG trader.

“Celsius Copenhagen (pictured)，our first LNG carrier，was delivered to Clearlake in 2020， and the relationship with Clearlake has further strengthened with this latest transaction，” remarked Jeppe Jensen， chairman of Celsius.

The new vessels will be ABS-classed and fitted with ME-GA propulsion. They will also feature air lubrication，enhanced reliquefication capacity， an optimised hull and use of the best available paint system to reduce friction in water，Celsius said.

Celsius Tankers’ LNG carrier fleet now totals 18 vessels，with four in operation and 14 on order. The contract with CMHI is said to come with options for four more vessels.