State-owned LNG giant QatarEnergy named four new conventional-size LNG vessels in South Korea as part of its giant fleet expansion program.
QatarEnergy said in a statement the four new vessels, Id’asah, Nuaijah, Umm Swayyah, and Lebrethah are part of 128 total vessels ordered from Korean and Chinese shipyards as part of the largest shipbuilding program in the history of the LNG shipping industry.
The naming of the vessels took place in two separate ceremonies in the city of Geoje, the first of which was held at the Samsung Heavy Industries yard for Id’asah, the first to be delivered by Samsung.
Also, the owner of the vessel is a subsidiary of JP Morgan Asset Management’s Global Transportation.
In the second naming ceremony, which was held at the Hanwha Ocean yard, the first three new LNG vessels to be delivered by Hanwha Ocean as part of this program were named Nuaijah, Umm Swayyah, and Lebrethah, all of which will shortly join QatarEnergy’s expanding LNG fleet.
The vessels’ owner is the Korean KGL Consortium which consists of Pan Ocean, H-Line Shipping, and SK Shipping,
The ceremonies were attended by senior executives and representatives from the shipyards, shipowner companies and representatives of the Korean government, in addition to senior executives from QatarEnergy and QatarEnergy LNG.
QatarEnergy is currently working on the giant North Field LNG expansion program, which includes the North Field South and North Field West projects.
Together, these will raise Qatar’s LNG production capacity from the current 77 mtpa to 142 mtpa in 2030.
In February, QatarEnergy also announced the North Field West project which will add 16 mtpa of LNG to the overall expansion of the North Field.