- QatarEnergy Expands LNG Fleet with Seven New Vessels.
- Additional Orders Bring QatarEnergy’s LNG Fleet to 128 Ships.
- North Field Expansion Drives QatarEnergy’s LNG Growth.
Japan’s shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) held a naming ceremony for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier at China’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding shipyard. This marks the third vessel named at the shipyard since September 2024 as part of QatarEnergy’s extensive LNG shipbuilding program, reports Offshore Energy.
QatarEnergy’s First LNG Carrier Procurements
QatarEnergy contracted four LNG carriers from MOL through its first batch of TCPs for its large-scale LNG shipping program in 2022. After that, the company concluded another long-term charter deal with MOL for three more LNG carriers.
Building and Naming Information
The seven vessels, ordered in November 2022 and slated for delivery by 2027, are being constructed at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding. Two of the ships were named in September 2024, while the third was recently christened at the same shipyard and is now named Hlaitan after a significant archaeological site in Qatar.
Rising LNG Fleet
The newly named Hlaitan is the third of seven LNG carriers under a long-term charter with QatarEnergy Trading. QatarEnergy has further named four more conventional-size tankers after Qatari locations as its shipbuilding program continues to expand.
QatarEnergy ordered six more vessels in September 2024 with CSSC, bringing the size of the fleet to 128 ships, including 24 QC-Max mega vessels.
North Field Expansion Driving Fleet Growth
QatarEnergy’s fleet growth is supporting its LNG production boost, tied to the North Field expansion projects. The North Field, discovered in 1971 and shared with Iran, which calls it South Pars on its side, is the world’s largest single non-associated natural gas field.
The expansion projects—North Field East (NFE), North Field South (NFS), and North Field West (NFW)—are expected to raise Qatar’s LNG production capacity from 77 million tons per annum (mtpa) to 142 mtpa by 2030.
Strategic Significance of the LNG Fleet
QatarEnergy considers its growing LNG fleet as a critical enabler for meeting its production and export goals, ensuring the efficient delivery of LNG globally to meet rising demand.
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Source: Offshore Energy
