- Launch of Cedar FLNG marks the world’s first simultaneous construction of three FLNG units

- Geoje Shipyard emerges as a key global hub for LNG production facilities

- Manufacturing innovation driven by the Smart Shipyard lays the foundation for expanded multi-FLNG construction capabilities

Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) announced on July 5 that it had successfully held the launching ceremony for the Cedar FLNG, a floating LNG production facility to be deployed offshore Kitimat, British Columbia, Canada.

Around 70 guests attended the ceremony, including Dong-hyun Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of SHI’s Offshore Projects Management; Stuart Taylor, Senior Executive Advisor at Pembina Pipeline; and Brett Baker, Project Manager at Black & Veatch, along with other key stakeholders.

Following the launch, SHI plans to proceed with the fabrication and installation of topside modules weighing between 2,000 and 7,000 tonnes, one of the project’s key phases, as well as LNG cargo tank work. After completing commissioning, the company expects to deliver the unit in the first half of 2028.

Cedar FLNG is a nearshore FLNG model capable of liquefying, storing and offloading natural gas supplied from onshore facilities. The ultra-large offshore facility has a hull measuring approximately 2.5 times the size of a soccer field and a launching weight of around 50,000 tonnes.

Meanwhile, SHI’s Geoje Shipyard has emerged as a key global hub for LNG production facilities, with three large-scale FLNG units—Petronas’ ZLNG in Malaysia, ENI’s Coral Norte FLNG in Italy and Canada’s Cedar FLNG—being constructed sequentially along the yard quay.

The simultaneous construction of three FLNG units at a single shipyard following their launch is a world first, underscoring the manufacturing innovation achieved through SHI’s `Smart Shipyard` initiative.

Built on its S-EDH (Engineering Data Hub), which connects data across all functions including engineering, procurement and production, SHI is accelerating its transition to a Smart Shipyard by organically integrating its 3X strategy—DX, AX and RX—with digital technologies, artificial intelligence and robotics. Through these efforts, the company has optimized processes and automated engineering and production activities, while successfully standardizing complex offshore plant operations and establishing a systematic management framework, demonstrating its unrivaled competitiveness in FLNG construction.

“The successful launch of Cedar FLNG and the world’s first simultaneous construction of three FLNG units represent the tangible outcomes of the manufacturing innovation achieved through Samsung Heavy Industries’ Smart Shipyard,” said Dong-hyun Lee, Executive Vice President and Head of SHI’s Offshore Projects Management. “As a first mover in the 3X (AX, DX, RX) transformation, we will accelerate the advancement of our future-ready Smart Shipyard and respond fully to the era of FLNG serial production.”