LNG carriers are widely recognized as one of the “three crown jewels” of the global shipbuilding industry. On June 9, the construction commencement ceremony for the world’s first batch of the largest 271,000-cubic-meter QC-Max ultra-large LNG carriers was held at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC). Wang Guoqiang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Leadership Group, Director, and President of CSSC, attended the ceremony, presented the “Excellent Partner” plaque to Hudong-Zhonghua, and joined the guests in igniting the torch to mark the start of construction of the new vessel. Abdulrahman Al-Mulla, Shipping Project Director of QatarEnergy LNG, attended the ceremony. Hu Xianfu, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Vice President of CSSC, also attended the ceremony and presented the annual “Outstanding Person” award to Hudong-Zhonghua. Ren Yongqiang, Assistant President of COSCO Shipping Group and Chairman of COSCO Shipping Energy Transportation; Makoto Yamaguchi, representative of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines; and Alex Gregg-Smith, Senior Vice President for Asia-Pacific of Bureau Veritas (BV), also attended the ceremony.

Before the ceremony, Wang Guoqiang held talks with Abdulrahman Al-Mulla. The two sides had in-depth exchanges and reached a number of consensuses on expanding areas of cooperation and promoting higher-level practical collaboration. Subsequently, Wang Guoqiang and the guests jointly unveiled the honorary plaque for Hudong-Zhonghua’s “Excellent Partner.”

The 271,000-cubic-meter QC-Max ultra-large LNG carrier has an overall length of 344 meters and is equipped with the latest upgraded No96 Super+ membrane containment system. Its key performance indicators, including cargo capacity, energy efficiency and environmental protection, intelligent assistance, and navigation safety, have been comprehensively upgraded, effectively reducing losses during LNG storage and transportation. The vessel is fitted with a high-efficiency dual-fuel propulsion system and adopts an optimized streamlined hull design, significantly improving energy consumption and carbon emission indicators per unit of transport capacity. It fully complies with the highest environmental standard of the International Maritime Organization’s Tier III requirements. With outstanding advantages such as large carrying capacity, low energy consumption, low-carbon and environmentally friendly performance, safety, and reliability, the vessel can berth at most mainstream LNG terminals around the world and offers broad adaptability for ocean-going routes.

The 271,000-cubic-meter ultra-large LNG carrier is part of Qatar’s mega LNG shipbuilding project involving 100 vessels. In the bidding for this multi-billion-dollar project, Hudong-Zhonghua secured a total of 36 shipbuilding orders, including 12 large 174,000-cubic-meter LNG carriers and 24 ultra-large 271,000-cubic-meter LNG carriers, becoming the largest contractor of the project.

The commencement of construction of the 271,000-cubic-meter LNG carrier project is not only a milestone in the high-end development of China’s shipbuilding industry, but also one of the landmark projects marking China’s steady progress toward becoming a world shipbuilding power. Against the backdrop of a changing geopolitical landscape and a complex global economic and trade environment, the project has greatly boosted confidence in the steady development of the LNG industry chain both at home and abroad.

Representatives from relevant departments and enterprises of QatarEnergy, COSCO Shipping, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, and Bureau Veritas, as well as representatives from relevant departments of CSSC headquarters and its affiliated secondary management units, attended the above activities.

Original Link:
http://www.cssc.net.cn/n5/n18/c33799/content.html

Author:
Chang Liu, Hongmei Gao

Source:
China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC)