Golar LNG Limited (NASDAQ: GLNG), a maritime LNG infrastructure company, has ordered a fourth floating LNG production vessel, and it is selling the order on speed as much as size. On August 13, 2026, Golar signed an Engineering, Procurement and Construction agreement with Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore Limited for its fourth FLNG and second MKII-design unit.

The order

An FLNG vessel liquefies natural gas at sea, chilling it into liquid form so it can be loaded onto tankers without a shore-based terminal. The terms of this one:

  • Capacity: 3.5 million tonnes of LNG a year (3.5 MTPA)
  • Cost: about $2.45 billion, delivered to site
  • Delivery: from the shipyard by year-end 2029
  • Builder: Yantai CIMC Raffles Offshore Limited

Golar expects the vessel out of the shipyard by the end of 2029, which it says will make it the earliest FLNG capacity available anywhere in the world. The company attributed that early slot to years of relationships with equipment suppliers and to reservations it made earlier this year for equipment with long lead times. Golar has already lined up the donor vessel that will be converted into the new unit.

A repeat design

The new unit will be Golar's second vessel built to the MKII design, matching the FLNG Esperanza already under construction at CIMC Raffles. Golar and CIMC Raffles both pointed to savings from repeating the design and running two builds at the shipyard at the same time. CIMC Raffles CEO and President Wang Jianzhong said the repeat order, placed while the first MKII vessel is still being built, reflects confidence in the shipyard's engineering, construction and project execution.

Technology and capacity

Black & Veatch is supplying the licensed PRICO liquefaction technology for the vessel, handling detailed engineering and process design, specifying and procuring the topside equipment, and supporting commissioning of the topsides and liquefaction process.

Golar said the order lifts its total controlled liquefaction capacity by roughly 40%, to more than 12 MTPA, extending its position as the largest FLNG owner by capacity.

Charter status

Golar is aiming to sign the new vessel to a long-term charter, and said commercial talks over its future employment are already at an advanced stage. Golar CEO Karl Fredrik Staubo said the order combines "the world's earliest available FLNG delivery" with the company's operating track record.