China begins construction of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas carrier

The Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai has begun construction of the largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier in the world. According to the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), the QC-Max class ship will be able to transport approximately 155 million m³ of gaseous natural gas in one trip, a volume sufficient to supply approximately 4.7 million homes in Shanghai for one month.

The ship is an integral part of two contracts signed by QatarEnergy and CSSC, which provide for the construction of 24 vessels and more than 56 billion yuan (approximately 8.3 billion dollars). The deal is considered the largest single order in shipbuilding history in terms of value.

Each of the vessels will be 344 m long, with a beam of 53.6 m and a draft of 12 m, in addition to having tanks capable of storing 271 thousand m³ of LNG. This volume exceeds the capacity of standard ships in the segment by around 57%, which normally transport up to 174 thousand cubic meters.

The transporters will be equipped with the latest generation membrane containment system called NO96 Super+. The system is designed to reduce the daily gas evaporation rate to around 0.087% and meet the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) most demanding requirements related to emissions and energy efficiency.

The construction of the ships reaffirms China’s leading role in the construction of large methane ships and establishes a new milestone for the transport of LNG on long-distance routes.