K Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., Sejin Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. and ClassNK have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop a new generation Eco LPG carrier that will apply the amended IGC Code. The signing took place at Gastech 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, according to reports on 16 September 2026.

The three parties agreed the collaboration during the industry gathering in Bangkok. The MOU sets out joint development efforts for an LPG carrier described by the signatories as a new generation Eco design that will comply with the recent amendment to the IGC Code.

Sources indicated the event and the participating organisations, naming K Shipbuilding, Sejin Heavy Industries and ClassNK as the signatories. The article records the MOU signing at Gastech 2026 but does not provide technical drawings or detailed specifications of the proposed vessel.

The signatories and event

K Shipbuilding and Sejin Heavy Industries are shipyard and engineering interests listed among the MOU partners, while ClassNK is identified as the classification society involved in the agreement. The signing at Gastech 2026 linked the commercial shipbuilding parties with a classification body for the stated purpose of aligning the design to the amended code.

The report does not disclose a timetable for design milestones or a delivery window. Nor does it describe financing arrangements or which commercial owners, if any, have committed to the concept. The MOU is presented as the framework for further technical co-operation.

Purpose and regulatory context

The stated aim is to develop an Eco LPG carrier that applies requirements from the amended IGC Code. The notice in reports frames the MOU as a response to those amended regulatory requirements, positioning the collaboration as a design and compliance exercise.

The announcement contains no estimated fuel, propulsion or emissions metrics for the vessel concept, and it does not list planned trials or demonstration phases. The parties are reported to have agreed on joint development rather than a defined construction contract.

The statement from the MOU signing is limited to the agreement itself and the context of the Gastech 2026 meeting. There are no technical appendices attached to the published report and no additional project partners are named beyond the three signatories.

A concise factual list from the published report:

  • Parties: K Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.; Sejin Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.; ClassNK.
  • Purpose: Joint development of a new generation Eco LPG carrier applying the amended IGC Code.
  • Venue: MOU signing ceremony held at Gastech 2026, Bangkok, Thailand.
  • Source: reports, 16 September 2026.

Further information on follow-up steps, such as whether the partners will publish a design brief, open a tender for equipment suppliers or present concept plans at a later forum, was not included in the account. The reports item serves as the primary public notice of the collaboration.

Industry observers seeking additional detail will need to consult announcements from the named parties or future technical papers that may emerge from the collaboration. The MOU establishes the intent to co-operate on a design that applies the amended IGC Code, leaving specifics of implementation and commercialisation to subsequent stages.