The new LNG carriers will bring shale gas from the U.S. to South Korea

South Korea's Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) has chosen suppliers to build six new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carriers, with energy efficiency an important factor, World Maritime News reports.

Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) will build four 174,000 cubic metre capacity, energy-efficient LNG carriers, with Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) selected to build two.

Once delivered, Korea Line Corporation, Hyundai LNG Shipping, and SK Shipping will manage two vessels each, which are intended to be used to transport shale gas from the U.S. to Korea from 2017.

DSME said its vessels will use an energy saving Partial Re-liquefaction System (PRS) systems, allowing boil-off gas to be used as fuel, removing the need for additional reliquefaction equipment.