China’s Hudong-Zhonghua hosted a naming ceremony for the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier built as part of QatarEnergy’s massive shipbuilding program.
The 174,000-cbm LNG carrier, Rex Tillerson, is the first conventional-size LNG vessel built under the program and the vessel was named after the former chairman and CEO of US energy giant ExxonMobil.
Besides this vessel, QatarEnergy also celebrated the naming of a second vessel – Umm Ghuwailina.
Last month, this 174,000-cbm LNG carrier completed its sea and gas trials.
The two vessels are part of 12 conventional-size LNG vessels contracted wit 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.
Set to be delivered ahead of their contracted delivery schedule, the LNG carriers are under long-term charter by QatarEnergy Trading, QatarEnergy said.
The vessels, part of Hudong-Znoghua’s fifth-generation Changxeng series, are 299 meters long and 46.4 meters wide.
Also, the LNG carriers feature a reliquefaction system as well.
Besides these vessels, QatarEnergy has signed a major shipbuilding deal in April this year worth $6 billion with China State Shipbuilding Corp for the construction of 18 271,000-cbm LNG carriers at Hudong-Zhonghua.
QatarEnergy also just announced a new order for six of these giant vessels at Hudong-Zhonghua, bringing the total number of LNG vessels on order under its fleet expansion program to 128, including 24 QC-Max mega vessels.