On August 23rd, Jiangnan Shipbuilding and global shipping giant Navigator Gas formally signed a contract for the construction of 2+2 Medium Ethane Carriers (MEC). The signing of this contract is not only a commercial cooperation for high-tech green ships, but also a revolution for the new era of future shipping.
According to the announcement made by Navigator Gas on its official website on the same day, the first two new MECs are expected to be delivered in March 2027 and July 2027. If the option order comes into effect, with delivery dates set for November 2027 and January 2028, each MEC will be priced at $102.9 million, which, together with the option order, will bring the total value of the four MECs to $411.6 million (approximately RMB 2.933 billion).
The contracted MECs incorporates a number of leading industry concepts and highlights in the development of this ship, the design of the new containment system, and the future lean and efficient construction, which is almost a comprehensive preview of the future ship.
- Shore Power Ready: This design allows ships to connect to shore power when calling at port, reducing pollutant emissions from the port and helping to bring back blue sky to port cities.
- Ammonia Fuel Ready: Forward-looking design prepares for future ammonia fuel applications, giving ships the potential to achieve low or even zero carbon emissions.
- Carbon Capture Ready: Provides space for the future installation of a carbon capture system, directly targeting the global carbon neutrality goal and demonstrating Jiangnan Shipbuilding’s environmental ambitions.
- All-Electric Deck Machineries: The application of all-electric deck equipment has completely subverted the traditional drive mode, which not only reduces energy consumption, but also greatly improves operational efficiency.
- Organic Silicon Coating: Through the application of the most advanced material technology, to significantly reduce the hull resistance, reduce fuel consumption, for energy saving and efficiency to bring new power.
The MECs will be equipped with Jiangnan Shipbuilding’s self-developed “BrilliancE®” Type B Tank, which is the world’s leading, safe and reliable cargo containment system technology that has been maturely applied to Jiangnan Shipbuilding’s bulk-built VLECs, and will be extended to MECs again this time.The MEC has a cargo tank capacity of 48,500 cbm and is equipped with three Type B liquid cargo tanks. It is designed for flexible loading of various liquefied gas cargoes such as ethane, ethylene, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and ammonia.
This cooperation is another achievement of Jiangnan Shipbuilding and Navigator Gas to work together towards a greener future. Based on the successful cooperation in the past, the two parties will continue to refresh the industry standard and jointly shape a more environmental friendly and efficient global shipping. Jiangnan Shipbuilding always takes green and innovation as the core driving force, and is committed to low-carbon transformation and creating excellent shipping solutions for global customers.