Hanwha Ocean announced on 28 Sep 2026 a contract to build two liquefied natural gas carriers for an African shipowner, valued at approximately 680 billion won (about $500 million), or roughly $250 million per vessel. Delivery is expected by November 2029. The shipbuilder has not disclosed the buyer's identity, but market sources indicate the order is linked to Zodiac Maritime, the UK-based shipping company controlled by Eyal Ofer, and includes options for two additional vessels. The deal marks Zodiac Maritime's first entry into the LNG carrier segment and follows its May 2026 order with Hanwha Ocean for three Very Large Ammonia Carriers, with options for two more, deliveries for which could extend to January 2030 if exercised. With this order, Hanwha Ocean's new shipbuilding contracts for September reached 2.8918 trillion won (approximately $2.130 billion), alongside deals for six 13,650 TEU LNG dual-fuel container ships for Yang Ming Marine Transport and three very large gas carriers for Dorian LPG. Year-to-date, the company has secured 41 new vessel contracts worth $7.71 billion, comprising 18 VLCCs, 8 LNG carriers, 6 container ships, 3 VLACs, 3 VLGCs, 1 wind turbine installation vessel, 1 special-purpose vessel and 1 onshore plant. Despite strong order intake, labor unrest poses a risk to operations. A seven-hour union strike occurred on 14 Sep 2026, followed by a halt of all four core gantry cranes on 18 Sep 2026. Labor-management negotiations are set to resume on 29 Sep 2026.