QatarEnergy Will Construct 18 of China’s Biggest LNG Vessels

QatarEnergy has undertaken an unmatched expansion program, creating history in this sector.

QatarEnergy and China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) have agreed to collaborate on constructing 18 ultra-modern QC max size LNG ships. This marks a noteworthy addition to their historic LNG fleet expansion program. The new vessel has a capacity of 271,000 cubic meters each and will be built at China’s Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard, a CSSC fully-owned subsidiary and will feature technological innovations and environmental performance. It measures 344 meters in overall length, 53.6 meters in beam, 27.2 meters in depth, and 12 meters in planned draft. The ships in question will use the NO96 Super+ containment system in addition to a dual-fuel low-speed engine propulsion system.

In a special ceremony attended by senior directors from QatarEnergy, QatarEnergy LNG, and China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the agreement was inked and sealed in Beijing by HE Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of QatarEnergy, as well as by Li Hongtao, Chairman of China, and Chen Jianliang, Chairman of Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. The signing event was attended by Mohamed Al-Dehaimi, the ambassador of Qatar in the People’s Republic of China, as well as other high-ranking officials from the Chinese government.

At the ceremony, HE Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi said that the agreement they have signed is the industry’s largest single shipbuilding contract ever with a total value of 6 billion dollars. These ultra-modern are the largest ever LNG vessels by size.

8 out of the 18 QC-Maxsize LNG vessels will be delivered in 2028 and 2029, while the rest of the 10 are to be delivered by 2030 and 2031. Furthermore, 12 conventional-size LNG vessels are currently under construction at Hudong-Zhonghua, and their delivery is expected by the third quarter of this year.

HE Minister Al-Kaabi takes pride and is honorable to continue working with China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard. They aim to develop and build some of the top-tier LNG vessels in the world that will be known for their remarkable environmental qualities. Moving forward he also affirmed QatarEnergy’s resoluteness to stick to its commitment to provide a safe and reliable energy source in the form of LNG, while always keeping the environmental sustainability at priority.

The global leader in the energy sector, QatarEnergy has undertaken an unmatched expansion program, creating history in this sector. The target of this program is to support and meet the future requirements of QatarEnergy’s oil and gas projects.

Alongside this agreement, QatarEnergy also announced the signing of Time Charter Party agreements. The agreement constitutes a total of 104 conventional-size vessels (174,000 cubic metres) constituting the largest shipbuilding program ever in the history of this industry.

This agreement is a new milestone in the energy sector for both countries. It further highlights the joint action and ever-growing relations between the People’s Republic of China and the State of Qatar. Nearly 17 million tons of LNG from Qatar were supplied to China to one of its principal markets. In the same year, Qatar was also one of the major suppliers of crude oil (the equivalent of 8.6 million tons), Naphtha (2.3 million tons), LPG (2.2 million tons), Helium (650 million cubic meters), fertilizers, polymers, and chemicals (1.6 million tons) to the Chinese market.

Two of China’s national energy companies additionally became partners in Qatar‘s highly-coveted North Field Expansion projects in 2023. Sinopec signed 27-year LNG sales and purchase agreements for a total of seven million tons annually, while also acquiring a 1.25% interest in the North Field East project and a 1.875% interest in the North Field South project. In response, CNPC inked a 27-year LNG sales and purchase deal for four million tons annually and financed 1.25% of the North Field East project.