Eastern Pacific Shipping has moved to expand its LNG footprint， placing an order for two 175，000 cum LNG carrier newbuildings as it scales up its gas shipping business.

The Singapore-based owner， controlled by Idan Ofer， has contracted the pair at Jiangnan Shipyard for delivery in 2028， marking EPS’ first LNG carrier newbuilding order in China. The deal comes as the company builds out its LNG platform following the recent merger of its LNG unit CoolCo with subsidiary EPS Ventures.

The two ships will sit at the top end of the conventional LNG carrier size range and underline EPS’s intent to grow as a long-term player in gas transportation， alongside its existing exposure to LPG， ethane and ammonia shipping.

EPS has been steadily deepening its relationship with Chinese yards over the past few years， using newbuildings to enter emerging gas segments. In 2023， the owner placed a landmark order for six 93，000 cum very large ammonia carriers， followed in 2024 by six 150，000 cum ultra large ethane carriers. Earlier this month， EPS added another ammonia play with an order for 90，000 cu m Panamax VLACs.

Earlier this month， EPS completed the merger between CoolCo and EPS Ventures， bringing its gas activities under a single umbrella. Former Flex LNG and Avance Gas chief executive Øystein Kalleklev has taken the helm of the enlarged gas fleet. Following the transaction， EPS’ gas arm counts around 63 vessels across LNG carriers， LPG carriers， ethane carriers and LNG bunker ships， giving the group one of the more diversified gas shipping platforms among private owners.