China’s Dalian Shipbuilding Industry (DSIC) has officially started building a new 175,000-cbm LNG carrier for compatriot China Merchants Energy Shipping (CMES), a unit of China Merchants Group.
The shipbuilder held a keel-laying ceremony on July 19 for the LNG carrier with a working name G175K-7.
DSIC said this is the seventh of eight LNG carriers it is building for CMES.
In May this year, DSIC launched the first 175,000-cbm LNG carrier in this batch, Sea Spirit.
CMES placed an order in March 2022 for two dual-fuel LNG carriers for $380 million, DSIC’s first order for large LNG carriers, and these vessels will serve charter deals with Sinochem.
After that, CMES exercised an option for two more LNG carriers worth $400 million, and added two more vessels in December 2022 with a price tag of about $470 million. These two LNG carriers ordered in December 2022 will go on charter to PetroChina.
CMES placed the most recent order for two LNG carriers worth some $470 million in May last year, and the new steel-cutting ceremony was held for the first vessel in this batch.
According to DSIC, the LNG carriers will be 295 meters long and 46.4 meters wide, with a design draft of 11.5 meters and a speed of 19.5 knots.
The vessels feature the latest LNG dual-fuel low-speed main engine with integrated ICER system, a reliquefaction unit, and GTT’s Mark III Flex membrane containment system, it said.
CMES will take delivery of all of these LNG carriers during 2025-2027.
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