Photo courtesy QatarEnergy
QatarEnergy has reached a significant milestone by awarding its final batch of vessel contracts to a Japanese-Chinese partnership between Mitsui O.S.K Lines (MOL) and COSCO Shipping LNG Investment (Shanghai) Co. (CSLNG).
The joint venture has secured the rights to own and operate six QC-Max size LNG vessels, marking the completion of QatarEnergy’s historic 128-vessel fleet expansion program.
The vessels will be constructed by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), reinforcing China’s growing influence in the global shipbuilding sector. This latest agreement builds upon an already substantial relationship between QatarEnergy and the MOL-CSLNG joint venture, which previously secured contracts for seven conventional LNG vessels in 2022, bringing their total commitment to 13 vessels.
“This is the last batch of long-term shipowner contracts in our 128-vessel strong historic shipbuilding program that will cater for QatarEnergy’s future LNG fleet requirements for our LNG expansion projects, as well as the replacement requirements of some of our existing fleet,” said QatarEnergy’s chief, His Excellency Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, speaking at the contract signing ceremony in Doha.
The scale of QatarEnergy’s maritime ambitions is also illustrated by their recent $6 billion agreement with China State Shipbuilding Corporation for 18 QC-Max size LNG carriers, noted as the largest single shipbuilding contract in history. In total, the company’s comprehensive fleet expansion program encompasses 128 vessels, including 24 QC-Max mega vessels, each boasting an impressive capacity of 271,000 cubic meters.
This latest development follows the successful launch of QatarEnergy’s first conventional-size LNG vessel, the “Rex Tillerson,” in September, which is part of a dozen conventional-size LNG vessels being built at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard.
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