Qatar Gas Transport Company (Nakilat), the Persian Gulf country’s leading shipping and maritime player, has officially commenced the construction of 17 new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers. This significant milestone was marked by a steel-cutting ceremony hosted yesterday at the Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea, rpoerts Offshore Energy.
Expanding Fleet
QatarEnergy is significantly expanding its LNG fleet to support its ambitious North Field expansion projects and maintain its global leadership in the LNG market.
Following initial long-term time charter party (TCP) agreements signed in April and August 2022, the second phase of this massive fleet expansion commenced in September 2023. This involved a $3.9 billion construction contract with Hyundai Heavy Industries for 17 of the 25 new LNG vessels. The remaining eight ships are being built at the Hanwha Ocean (formerly Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering) shipyard in South Korea, with a steel-cutting ceremony for these eight LNG carriers held in March 2025.
QatarEnergy’s overarching LNG fleet expansion program is historic in its scale, encompassing a total of 128 vessels, including 24 QC-Max size LNG vessels.
Nakilat, Qatar’s shipping and maritime company, has been awarded the charter and operation duties for nine of these ultra-modern QC-Max LNG ships. This move is part of QatarEnergy’s strategic efforts to sustain and bolster its position in the global LNG arena.
Further reinforcing this objective, QatarEnergy has also expanded its North Field development projects. This includes the existing North Field East (NFE) and North Field South (NFS) undertakings, now supplemented by the new North Field West (NFW) project. These expansions are set to significantly increase Qatar’s LNG production capacity, reinforcing its role as a leading global LNG supplier.
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Source: Offshore Energy
