SHANGHAI: Four liquefied natural gas (LNG) tankers, each able to hold 174,000 cubic meters of LNG, will be constructed by China State Shipbuilding Corp’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co Ltd, CSSC and Qatar Energy jointly announced.

       The LNG tankers are among the first batch of some 100 LNG tankers ordered by Qatar Energy.The shipbuilding contracts clinched by CSSC are credited to Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding’s advanced design concept, excellent shipbuilding capability and complete service system in competing with global peers, and this is also regarded as recognition of China’s shipbuilding manufacturing prowess, experts said.

       The vessels, each measuring 299 meters in length and 46.4 meters in width, will be tailored to fit Qatar Energy’s technological standards for the world’s largest LNG carrier fleet, according to Song Wei, deputy chief engineer at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding.

       Adopting Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding’s independent research, development and design, the LNG carrier model is characterised by high speed, low emissions, advanced technology, wide applicability, lightweight features, large capacity as well as balanced and flexible energy consumption, said Song, adding that the vessel is compatible with various types of LNG facilities at major ports worldwide.

       The latest contract is the third bulk order recently won by shipyards owned by CSSC-strong proof that Chinese shipbuilders have greatly strengthened their global competitiveness in building LNG carriers, experts said.

       Building LNG tankers is considered a very complicated undertaking due to high requirements in technology, construction difficulties and added value.

       Before 2022, only four shipyards in the world were capable of building large-scale LNG carriers, namely Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding of China and three South Korean shipbuilders-Hyundai Heavy Industries, Samsung Heavy Industries and Daewoo Shipbuilding.

       As two more Chinese shipbuilders have entered the sector, the market landscape will be changed as well, industry insiders said.

       On March 30, Shanghai-based Jiangnan Shipyard, a unit of the world’s largest shipbuilder CSSC, signed a contract with Adnoc Logistics & Services, the shipping arm of Abu Dhabi National Oil Co, for two 175,000-cubic-meter LNG carriers. — China Daily/ANN