On January 17, the National Energy Administration released the top ten scientific and technological innovation achievements of the National Energy Research and Innovation Platform for 2024. The “River-Sea Direct 14,000m³ LNG Bunkering Vessel” built by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding was the only product from the shipbuilding industry to make it to the list, demonstrating the company’s strong capabilities in technological innovation.
In July 2024, Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding delivered China’s first river-sea direct 14,000 m3 LNG filling carrier, “Huaihe Nengyuan Qihang”. The LNG bunkering vessel’s localization rate is over 80%, a record high. It is equipped with Hudong-Zhonghua’s independently developed and national patent-authorized B-tank LNG containment system, which is the first time for the system to realize the first set of engineering applications on domestic LNG carriers, marking a major breakthrough in China’s development of the B-tank LNG containment system, which is fully independent of intellectual property rights.
The ultra-low temperature valves used in the core cryogenic liquid cargo system of the vessel are independently developed and produced by Shanghai Hudong Shipbuilding Valve under Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding. In recent years, Hudong Shipbuilding Valve Company has made every effort to promote the development and production of a full range of localized ultra-low temperature valves, and has achieved remarkable results in all aspects of work.
The ultra-low temperature shut-off valves, ultra-low temperature ball valves, and ultra-low temperature butterfly valves independently produced by the company have been applied in batches on this vessel. The proportion of domestically produced ultra-low temperature valves applied on the entire vessel exceeded 90% for the first time, setting a new historical record. This highlights the company’s strong support for the localization of core equipment in the LNG industrial chain.
The vessel “Huaihe Nengyuan Qihang” is of great significance in promoting the bunkering of LNG-powered vessels in the Changjiang River and opening up the transportation channel for inland LNG carriers. With the continuous promotion of China’s “Double Carbon Strategy” and the commissioning of “Huaihe Nengyuan Qihang”, the market for small LNG carriers will receive more and more attention, which will further accelerate the transformation of all types of transportation vessels in the Changjiang River into LNG-powered vessels and accelerate the realization of the goal of reducing comprehensive pollution emissions by 70%, contributing to the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region.