Growth-minded gulf state Qatar will issue a tender to shipbuilders in the coming weeks as it pursues plans to net around 60 LNG newbuildings for its planned liquefaction expansion project.
Speaking at the opening of the LNG2019 meeting in Shanghai, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, who is Qatar's minister of state for energy affairs and CEO of Qatar Petroleum, said a slot reservation tender for the vessels will be issued shortly.
Those following the process say this is expected in April but may slip into May.
Details of the precise number and specifications of the vessels Qatar will be seeking has been kept under wraps so far.
Shipyards indicate the figure of 60 vessels, which was quoted by Al-Kaabi in January during a bilateral meeting with South Korea, is based on a vessel size of 170,000 cbm.
Al-Kaabi said: “In a few weeks, qualified shipyards will be invited to participate in a tender for the provision of LNG ship construction slots for the LNG shipping fleet required for the LNG expansion project.”
In a statement on its website, Qatar Petroleum also said it has awarded a number of contracts related to the expansion.
It wants to increase capacity from 77m tons to 110m tons per year by 2024.
Early site works required to prepare the site of the four new 8mtpa LNG mega-trains in Ras Laffan Industrial City went to a joint venture between Consolidated Contractors Company and Teyseer Trading and Contracting Company.
TradeWinds reported in January that Qatar had carried out a first sweep of major shipbuilders to make an early assessment of the LNG carrier berths that might be available.
Slots in South Korea, China and Japan have been assessed.
