The fleet of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company (NLNG) is about to be joined by four LNG carriers before year-end and another two next year, according to the company's CEO Babs Omotowa.

The six tankers were ordered in 2013 from Korean shipbuilders Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) within a US$1.6bn deal.

SHI has been entrusted with construction of four ships, whereas HHI will build the remaining two.

NLNG has a total of 23 ships on long-term charter for its six-train operation which load at NLNG Terminal in Bonny, Nigeria.

The fleet expansion plan was driven by the expected growth of the global LNG market which is predicted to hit 430 million tonnes per year, almost doubling its current capacity.