Hudong orders GTT tank design for MOL’s four new LNGCs

Chinese shipbuilder Hudong Zhonghua has ordered the tank design for four new LNG carriers it is building for Japan’s MOL from the French LNG containment specialist GTT.

GTT says that in April it received an order from its partner the Chinese shipyard Hudong Zhonghua, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). The order refers to the tank design of the first four LNG carriers for the QatarEnergy project on behalf of the ship-owner Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL).

To remind, back in April the state-owned oil and gas company QatarEnergy signed a series of time-charter parties (TCPs) with MOL for the long-term charter and operation of four LNGCs.

According to QatarEnergy, this is the first batch of TCPs awarded under the company’s massive LNG shipping program.

GTT will design the tanks of these four new LNGCs with a total LNG tank capacity of 174,000 cbm per ship. The ships will feature the GTT’s membrane containment system.

The Chinese shipyard will deliver the vessels in the third quarter of 2024 and the second quarter of 2025.