On February 24, China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (DSIC) held a keel laying ceremony for the first 175,000 m³ large liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier built for Wah Kwong Transport Holdings Ltd. (Wah Kwong)/China Gas/joint venture of CSSC (Hong Kong) Shipping.
The ship type is independently developed by DSIC, with an overall length of 299.7 meters, a beam of 46 meters, a design service speed of 19.5 knots, and a total cargo hold capacity of 175,000 cubic meters.
The vessel adopts GTT’s Mark III Flex cargo containment system. Equipped with 4 sets of dual-fuel generators, which can cover the power load demand of the whole vessel under different operation conditions. Meanwhile, it is fitted with two WinGD LNG dual-fuel low-speed main engines with integrated iCER system, which reduces fuel and gas consumption while enabling both fuel oil and gas modes to meet the toughest emission standards of the International Maritime Organization.
In addition, the LNG carrier adopts the latest optimized double stern line, high-efficiency propellers and high-efficiency twisted rudders with rudder balls, which further improves the hydrodynamic performance and enhances the safety redundancy of the propulsion system. It can dock at most large LNG shore stations in the world and has excellent port suitability and ship-shore compatibility.
It is reported that DSIC signed a contract with SEA JADE INVESTMENT LIMITED, a joint venture of Wah Kwong, ChinaGas and CSSC Leasing, in August 2023 to build 2+2 175,000 m³ LNG carriers. The order will be built at DSIC headquarters, and the first two vessels are expected to be delivered in 2027. The shipowner is China Gas Hongda Energy Trading Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of ChinaGas, with a 20-year term and a daily rental of between US$80,000 and US$100,000.
ChinaGas announced in March 2024 that its wholly-owned subsidiary China City Gas, Summit Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wah Kwong, and Fortune Clean Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSSC (Hong Kong) Shipping, entered into the 2024 Joint Venture Agreement, pursuant to which a 2024 Joint Venture Company was formed for the purpose of acquiring, owning and chartering two LNG carriers. The two new vessels will be constructed by DSIC.