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The contract with DSME includes an installment payment schedule similar to the two LNG carrier newbuildings ordered from DSME in December 2012. The Partnership intends to initially finance the installment payments during construction using a portion of its existing liquidity, and expects to secure long-term debt financing for the two newbuildings prior to their scheduled deliveries. "The delivery of these two additional vessels is timed to coincide with the next wave of increased demand for LNG carriers which is expected when a large number of new LNG export projects come on-stream commencing from late-2015," commented Peter Evensen, Chief Executive Officer of Teekay GP LLC. "Our recently announced charter contracts with Cheniere Energy for the first two MEGI LNG carrier newbuildings, ordered in December 2012, are a good example of the contract opportunities available in the LNG shipping market and the attractiveness of these vessels with the new fuel-efficient MEGI engines. Given the strong fundamental outlook in LNG shipping, combined with the optimized design of these vessels, we are confident in our ability to secure fixed-rate charter contracts for these additional two newbuildings, which will provide Teekay LNG with further visible built-in growth. Furthermore, the new options we secured to order up to five additional LNG carrier newbuildings should provide the Partnership with a competitive advantage for the various LNG projects we are pursuing." About Teekay LNG Partners L.P. Teekay LNG Partners L.P. is the world's third largest independent owner and operator of LNG vessels, providing LNG, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and crude oil marine transportation services primarily under long-term, fixed-rate charter contracts with major energy and utility companies through its interests in 31 LNG carriers (including one LNG regasification unit and four newbuildings), 29 LPG/Multigas carriers (including five chartered-in LPG carriers and eight newbuildings) and 11 conventional tankers. The Partnership's interests in these vessels ranges from 33 to 100 percent. Teekay LNG Partners L.P. is a publicly-traded master limited partnership (MLP) formed by Teekay Corporation (NYSE:TK) as part of its strategy to expand its operations in the LNG and LPG shipping sectors. Teekay LNG Partners' common units trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "TGP". Teekay LNG Partners L.P. press release |