Samsung Heavy Industries Shares Jump on $1.2 Billion Vessel Order and Gastech 2026 Push

Shares of Samsung Heavy Industries rose 2.3% to 21,900 won on Monday, standing out as one of the few gainers even as the broader KOSPI index slid as much as 3%. The rally followed news that the shipbuilder had landed a fresh $1.2 billion contract for six large vessels.

The order, worth a combined 1.65 trillion won, was placed by an Oceania-based shipowner and covers four liquefied natural gas carriers and two crude oil tankers. With this deal, Samsung Heavy's total commercial ship orders have already exceeded its full-year total from 2024, underscoring robust demand for its high-value vessels.

The positive momentum was reinforced by the company's high-profile presence at Gastech 2026 in Bangkok, one of the world's largest gas and LNG industry gatherings. Senior leadership, including Vice Chairman Choi Sung-ahn, attended the event as Samsung Heavy looks to expand its footprint in the floating LNG production business.

At the conference, the company is working to have its design capabilities for floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) production facilities formally certified, a move it believes will give it a decisive edge over rivals. Samsung Heavy is widely expected to receive approval in principle from the American Bureau of Shipping and Lloyd's Register on the 15th for a conceptual design that applies its proprietary SENSE natural gas liquefaction system to the topside facilities of an FLNG unit, with ABS also set to complete a basic design review.

Taken together, the new order book and the certification push at Gastech 2026 point to Samsung Heavy Industries strengthening its position in two of the most lucrative segments of global shipbuilding: LNG carriers and floating gas production infrastructure. Investors appear to be rewarding the stock for both the near-term revenue boost and the longer-term strategic gains from its FLNG technology.