China’s Hudong-Zhonghua has delivered three large liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers in September, setting a new record for the Chinese shipbuilding industry.
CSSC’s Hudong-Zhonghua handed over the 174,000-cbm LNG carrier, Umm Ghuwailina, on September 30.
The shipbuilder said the vessel, the second of the giant QatarEnergy shipbuilding program, was delivered 2.5 months ahead of the contracted delivery schedule.
This was the third large LNG carrier delivery for the shipbuilder in one month, reaching a new monthly record for the delivery of large LNG carriers in the history of China’s shipbuilding industry, according to Hudong-Zhonghua.
On September 10, Hudong-Zhonghua hosted a naming ceremony for this vessel and its sister LNG carrier, Rex Tillerson.
Rex Tillerson is the first LNG carrier built as part of QatarEnergy’s massive shipbuilding program.
Also, the two vessels are part of 12 conventional-size LNG vessels contracted with Hudong-Zhonghua.
State-run LNG giant QatarEnergy signed charter deals in April 2022 for these two LNG carriers with Japan’s MOL, completing the first batch of charter contracts awarded under its massive shipbuilding program.
The vessels are owned by MOL and China’s Cosco Shipping Energy Transportation.
The LNG carriers are under long-term charter by QatarEnergy Trading, a unit of QatarEnergy.
The vessels, part of Hudong-Znoghua’s fifth-generation Changxeng series, are 299 meters long and 46.4 meters wide.
Cosco’s LNG carrier
In addition to these vessels, Hudong-Zhonghua delivered the 174,000-cbm LNG carrier, Kongtong, to compatriot Cosco Shipping Energy Transportation in September.
According to Hudong-Zhonghua, the LNG carrier was delivered on September 26, six months ahead of the contracted delivery schedule.
This is the sixth LNG carrier Hudong-Zhonghua built for compatriot Cosco Shipping Energy Transportation and PetroChina.
The shipbuilder is also building the seventh and eighth vessels under the third stage of the Cosco Shipping-PetroChina project.
All eight vessels have WinGD X-DF dual-fuel engines and GTT’s NO96 L03+ containment system.
They will serve PetroChina under charter deals.