Shanghai-based shipbuilder Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) wants to bring a design project to market for what would be the world’s largest LNG carrier.
Shipyard president Chen Jun and class society DNV GL regional manager greater China Norbert Kray signed a joint development project agreement for an ultra large LNG carrier at the start of the large LNG2019 meeting in Shanghai.
Chen said the vessel would be able to ship LNG from Russia to China.
Speaking to TradeWinds Chen said the supersize LNG carrier is currently in the research and development stage. But he added: “We expect it to be launched to the market by next year.”
“In future we are actively expanding our presence along the whole LNG industrial chain,” he said.
Chen also signed a JDP agreement for a 220,000-cbm floating LNG (FLNG) unit during the show.
We are going to explore more on the production side of the LNG industry,” he added.
“There is a very rich nature of the products on the industrial chain offered by Hudong-Zhonghua.”
Hudong, which was also signed the service agreement on Hapag Lloyd’s containership conversion to LNG fuelling at the meeting, has spread its wings on LNG ship construction.
Chen pointed out a model of the 18,600-cbm LNG bunker vessel which the yard is building for MOL to serve CMA CGM’s ultra large containership newbuildings.
The shipyard is also constructing China’s first home-grown floating storage and regasification units, building two 170,000-cbm FSRUs for Dynagas.
In addition the yard has four LNG carriers ordered by MOL for employment with Russia’s Yamal LNG project an.d is building two speculatively-ordered ships for CSSC (Hong Kong) Shipping Leasing.
Chen also said that with smooth progressing of the trade talks between the US and China, the yard thinks that in the future there will be vast demand in China for ethane exported from the US.
"We think such ethane trade will emerge very soon," he said, adding that the yard has already finished the designs of several sizes of very large ethane carrier to meet expected demand.
