‘Supermajor’ hires Flex LNG’s vessel on multi-year gig

March 25, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

Bermuda-headquartered liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipping company Flex LNG has lined up a new long-term assignment for a six-year-old LNG carrier with an undisclosed company.

Flex Aurora LNG carrier; Source: Flex LNG

Flex LNG has secured a new time charter agreement (TC) with a minimum firm period of two years for Flex Aurora. The unnamed charterer, described as a ‘supermajor,’ will have the option to extend the contract with additional 2+2+2 years; thus, a total contract length is potentially up to eight years.

Marius Foss, CEO of Flex LNG Management, commented: “We are pleased to announce a new time charter contract for Flex Aurora, capitalizing on the firm momentum in the freight market.

“This new minimum two-year firm contract adds further contract backlog, and it may be extended by up to an additional six years at the charterer’s option, reflecting continued recognition of our safe and reliable operations.”

The company explains that if all options are declared, the vessel will be committed until 2034. This ship was redelivered from its previous 3.5-year charter in the first half of March 2026, and has been successful in finding new employment with prompt delivery.

The 2020-built Flex Aurora is considered to be a modern 174,000 cbm LNG carrier with X-DF two-stroke propulsion. Thanks to this deal, Flex LNG’s total contract backlog is a minimum of 55 years, which may increase to 82 years if the charterers exercise their options.

The new contract for Flex Aurora, combined with the firm’s remaining spot exposure, is expected to contribute positively to earnings in the second quarter of 2026. Given the continued uncertainty and volatility in the LNG shipping and broader energy markets, the company is closely monitoring market developments.

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Foss added: “We believe there are currently favourable dynamics in the LNG shipping spot market, and with the commencement of this minimum two-year contract for Flex Aurora, we will have two vessels trading in what is presently a firm spot market.

“At the same time, we see that energy markets remain highly volatile, and conditions may change rapidly.”