Samsung Heavy Industries wins major FLNG construction contract for offshore U.S.
Delfin Midstream Inc. has awarded Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) the exclusive engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) contract for the first floating LNG (FLNG) vessel under its planned offshore Louisiana LNG project. The Letter of Award (LOA) secures SHI’s dock rights for vessel construction and initiates early project engagement to prepare for a final investment decision (FID) expected in late 2025.
The agreement also outlines a path for a second FLNG vessel FID in early 2026, with the two companies exploring future collaboration on a third vessel and additional shipbuilding opportunities. The partnership marks a major milestone for the Delfin LNG project, which aims to become the first U.S. deepwater LNG export facility using floating production technology.
“We are very pleased with the commercial and financing workstreams closing in for an FID on the Delfin LNG project,” said Dudley Poston, Delfin CEO. “With this LOA we further strengthen our construction pathway, not just for the first but also the second and third FLNG vessels. Finally, we are excited that the Delfin project can foster increased cooperation in trade, energy and shipbuilding between the Republic of Korea and the USA.”
Earlier in 2025, Delfin secured manufacturing capacity for the FLNG vessel’s gas turbines from Siemens Energy Inc. and has since advanced debt and equity financing. The project’s brownfield deepwater port design will leverage existing infrastructure to reduce development costs while supporting up to three FLNG vessels with a total capacity of 13.2 MMtpa.
If sanctioned, Delfin’s development would position the U.S. Gulf as a hub for scalable offshore LNG exports, combining low-cost floating infrastructure with strategic partnerships to meet growing global demand.
