China’s Dalian Shipbuilding Industry (DSIC) has floated out the fourth 175,000-cbm LNG carrier for compatriot China Merchants Energy Shipping (CMES), a unit of China Merchants Group.
According to a statement by the shipbuilder, the LNG carrier Sea Argosy was launched on May 26.
The LNG carrier is 295 meters long and 46.4 meters wide, with a design draft of 11.5 meters and a speed of 19.5 knots.
It features an LNG dual-fuel low-speed main engine with an integrated ICER system, a reliquefaction unit, and GTT’s Mark III Flex membrane containment system.
DSIC said this is the fourth LNG carrier it is building for CMES. The latter has eight LNG carriers on order at the shipbuilder.
DSIC launched the first vessel in this batch, Sea Spirit, in May 2024, the second vessel, Sea Navigator, in October 2024, and the third vessel, Sea Creation, in March this year.
In March 2022, CMES placed an order for two dual-fuel LNG carriers for $380 million, DSIC’s first order for large LNG carriers. These vessels will serve charter deals with Sinochem.
After that, CMES exercised an option for two more LNG carriers worth $400 million, and added two more vessels in December 2022 with a price tag of about $470 million. These two LNG carriers ordered in December 2022 will go on charter to PetroChina.
CMES placed the last order for two LNG carriers worth some $470 million in May 2023.
The delivery of all these LNG carriers will take place between 2025 and 2027.