China’s Dalian Shipbuilding Industry (DSIC) has laid the keel for the first of eight 175,000-cbm LNG carriers it is building for compatriot China Merchants Energy Shipping (CMES), a unit of China Merchants Group.
The shipbuilder held the keel-laying ceremony on December 1 for the LNG carrier with a working name G175K-1.
DSIC started building this vessel in June.
Besides this LNG carrier, DSIC held a steel-cutting ceremony on the same day for the second LNG tanker in this batch with a working name G175K-2.
In March last year, CMES placed an order for two dual-fuel LNG carriers for $380 million, DSIC’s first order for large LNG carriers, and these vessels are part of that order. They will serve charter deals with Sinochem.
After after, 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.
The Chinese firm placed the most recent order for two LNG carriers worth some $470 million on May 26.
According to DSIC, the LNG carriers will be 295 meters long and 46.4 meters wide, with a design draft of 11.5 meters and a speed of 19.5 knots.
The vessels feature the latest LNG dual-fuel low-speed main engine with integrated ICER system, a reliquefaction unit, and GTT’s Mark III Flex membrane containment system, it said.
CMES will take delivery of all of these LNG carriers during 2025-2027.