SEOUL-Korea’s shipbuilding industry has been enjoying a heyday, due to rising price competitiveness and large-scale foreign exchange gains, according to industry sources April 9.

Samsung Heavy Industries, for instance, received an order for a liquefied natural gas tanker from a Japanese company in January, and is certain to receive orders for three more LNG tankers from leading British shippers for $500 million.

Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering received $1 billion worth of orders for two ships from Japan’s MOL consortium, and three ships from Australia’s MWS.

Korean shipbuilders have so far swept the world’s LNG ship orders.

Samsung Heavy also signed a letter of intent with China to build five container ships of the 9,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) class, the world’s largest.

The shipbuilders are expected to enjoy foreign exchange gains: about 90 billion won ($83.2 million) for Samsung, 125 billion won ($92.8 billion) for Hyundai and 71.7 billion won ($66.3 million) for Daewoo heavy Industries should the foreign exchange rate stand at 1,250 won to the dollar on average.