Samsung Heavy Industries Co (SHI), a major South Korean shipyard, said Tuesday that it has clinched a 1.1 billion-won (US$968 million) deal to build six container vessels.

In a regulatory filing, Samsung Heavy said it would deliver the vessels by the end of 2019. 

Samsung Heavy Industries inks US$968 million deal for the construction of 6 container vessels

The shipyard did not reveal the name of the buyer, but industry sources are guessing the customer may be MSC, the world's second-largest shipping firm.

Last week, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. (DSME), a local shipyard, also received a 927 billion-won order to build five container vessels, with the buyer presumed to be MSC.

An earlier report has said that two South Korean shipbuilders -- Samsung Heavy and Daewoo Shipbuilding -- are expected to win a combined US$1.5 billion in fresh deals.

With the latest deal, Samsung Heavy has received orders valued at $6.5 billion so far this year to build 24 vessels.

Source: Yonhap