South Korean shipyard holds naming ceremony for US player’s new FSRU

April 1, 2026, by Melisa Cavcic

Excelerate Energy, a U.S.-based liquefied natural gas (LNG) and power infrastructure company headquartered in Texas, has named its newbuild floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) at the Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea.

FSRU Excelerate Acadia; Source: Excelerate Energy

The U.S. firm’s newest FSRU has been given the name of Excelerate Acadia at Hyundai Heavy Industries’ shipyard in South Korea. The milestone is said to mark the first Excelerate FSRU constructed at this Asian giant’s shipyard.

The vessel was named by Deborah Byers, a member of Excelerate Energy’s board of directors and godmother of Excelerate Acadia, who performed the ceremonial christening and champagne bottle breaking in accordance with maritime tradition.

Steven Kobos, President and CEO of Excelerate Energy, commented: “This naming ceremony marks an important milestone for Excelerate and reflects the care and discipline our teams bring to building and operating critical energy infrastructure.

“We appreciate the strong partnership with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and the many people who contributed to delivering a high‑quality asset that will serve customers with the highest levels of safety and reliability.”

Designed to support long‑term LNG import and regasification operations, Excelerate Acadia is perceived to represent Excelerate Energy’s continued investment in purpose‑built floating storage and regasification units.

“On behalf of the Board, I’m proud to mark this milestone and recognize the teamwork required to bring a complex asset to life. Today’s naming ceremony reflects strong stewardship, strong partnerships, and a continued focus on safety and performance,” highlighted Byers.

The vessel is described as featuring a modern design, incorporating advanced efficiency and safety features, supported by redundant systems to ensure reliable performance.

The latest achievement comes two months after Excelerate Energy’s Hull 3407 returned from sea trials after completing major performance and safety tests, following its launch at the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ shipyard in July 2025 and the keel-laying ceremony, when the vessel’s hull started to be assembled.

The FSRU is destined for deployment at the company’s integrated LNG import terminal in Iraq.