Last month, QatarEnergy ordered six additional 271,000-cbm LNG carriers from CSSC’s Hudong-Zhonghua for about $2 billion, boosting the total to 24 QC-Max LNG carriers.
Hudong-Zhonghua will build the ships and deliver them between 2028 and 2031.
Shipbuilding sources told LNG Prime on Wednesday that Qatari LNG shipping giant Nakilat and a joint venture of China’s Cosco Shipping and Japan’s MOL appear to be shortlisted for chartering and operating these six vessels.
It remains unclear whether only one of the bidders will secure the contracts or the contracts will be split between Nakilat and Cosco/MOL.
The sources said that the deals are expected to be signed in November.
Each of the world’s largest LNG vessels will be 344 meters long, 53.6 meters wide, and will have a draft of 12 meters.
The QC-Max vessels also feature WinGD dual-fuel propulsion, a reliquefaction system, an air lubrication system, and GTT’s NO96 Super+ containment tech. They have five storage tanks.
QatarEnergy previously signed long-term time charter party (TCP) agreements with four shipowners for the operation of 18 QC-Max vessels.
The company signed a charter deal with compatriot shipping firm Nakilat for nine LNG carriers.
Moreover, affiliates of China Merchants Group, Shandong Marine Group, and China LNG Shipping, of which Cosco Shipping Energy Transportation holds 50 percent, will operate nine of these vessels.
CMES will operate four vessels, Shandong Marine Energy three, and CLNG two.
Currently, the world’s largest LNG carriers are Qatar’s Q-Max vessels, which are about 345 meters long and have a capacity of 263,000-266,000 cbm.
Nakilat owns 14 Q-Max LNG carriers built by Hanwha Ocean (DSME) and Samsung Heavy between 2008 and 2010.
They all transport LNG from the giant Ras Laffan LNG complex in Qatar to customers around the globe.
Including the QC-Max LNG carriers, QatarEnergy’s massive shipbuilding program includes the construction of 128 vessels.
In March this year, QatarEnergy said it had completed the conventional-size vessels portion of the shipbuilding program, bringing the total number of ships for which it signed time charter parties to 104.
South Korean yards and Hudong-Zhonghua will construct these 104 vessels.
Under the program, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will build 34 174,000-cbm LNG carriers, Samsung Heavy will build 33 vessels, Hanwha Ocean will build 25 vessels, while Hudong-Zhonghua will construct 12 ships.
As per owners of the 174,000-cbm carriers, Nakilat will own 25 ships, a joint venture between H-Line Shipping, SK Shipping, and PanOcean 15 vessels, while J.P. Morgan’s Global Meridian will own 14 ships.
Moreover, a JV between NYK Line, K Line, MISC, and China LNG shipping will own 12 vessels, Knutsen 10 vessels, a JV between MOL and Cosco seven vessels, CMES and Shandong Marine will each own six vessels, a JV between K Line and Hyundai Glovis four vessels, MISC three vessels, and TMS Cardiff Gas two vessels.
This large fleet of vessels will meet QatarEnergy’s future requirements as it expands its LNG production capacity from the North Field.
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.
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