South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries hosted a naming ceremony for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier it built for Malaysia’s MISC and state-owned LNG giant QatarEnergy.
MISC said in a statement that the naming ceremony for LNG carrier Th’ailib took place at Samsung Heavy on Tuesday.
Th’ailib is the first of three newbuild LNG carriers secured by MISC under long-term time charter parties (TCPs) with QatarEnergy.
The LNG carrier will be chartered to QatarEnergy for a firm period of 15 years from 2026, further strengthening MISC’s participation in QatarEnergy’s LNG fleet expansion program.
Following its Phase One participation through a consortium arrangement involving 12 LNG carriers, MISC has further secured three vessels under Phase Two.
Collectively, the 15 vessels reinforce MISC’s role in supporting QatarEnergy’s long-term LNG transportation requirements, the firm noted.
With a capacity of 174,000 cubic meters, Th’ailib is equipped with dual-fuel engines, a reliquefaction system, a high-performance anti-fouling hull coating and an air lubrication system designed to improve fuel efficiency, optimize energy use, and support lower emissions intensity, according to MISC.
In 2024, QatarEnergy completed its massive LNG shipbuilding program, which includes the construction of 128 vessels.
The program comprises 104 conventional and 24 QC-Max size ultra-modern vessels.
South Korean yards and China’s Hudong-Zhonghua will construct these 104 conventional vessels.
Under the program, HD Hyundai Heavy will build 34 174,000-cbm LNG carriers, Samsung Heavy will build 33 vessels, Hanwha Ocean will build 25 vessels, while Hudong-Zhonghua will construct 12 ships.