Seoul-based IBK Investment & Securities released its prospect on the shipbuilding industry saying that newbuilding prices will rebound from the second quarter of the year.   

Park Seong-hyun, researcher of the securities company said, "The decrease of nuclear power production in Japan due to the recent terrible shock is bringing LNG into relief as alternative energy source.  If the recovery of nuclear power plants takes longer, Japan's demands for LNG and new LNG ship orders both will increase."

"Even though Chinese yards have already made a break into the LNG shipbuilding, Korean yards are still ahead in terms of technology to build ultra-large LNG ships of 160K to 260K class. In addition, there will definitely be a price advance of steel plates from the second quarter of the year, so shipbuilders cannot help increasing newbuilding prices."