QatarEnergy fleet expansion hits 104 LNG vessels

A QatarEnergy LNG vessel. The company announced agreements for 19 new conventional-size LNG vessels, bringing the company’s fleet to 104. (Image: QatarEnergy)

QatarEnergy signed long-term time charter party (TCP) agreements with four international shipowners for the operation of 19 new conventional-size LNG vessels as part of the second ship-owner tender under QatarEnergy’s historic LNG fleet expansion program.

The agreements call for the operation of six vessels by CMES LNG Carrier Investment Inc., six vessels by Shandong Marine Energy (Singapore) Pte Ltd., and three vessels by MISC Berhad; all of which are being constructed at Samsung Heavy Industries in South Korea. The remaining four vessels will be operated by a joint venture of Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. (K-Line) and Hyundai Glovis Co. Ltd. and are being constructed at Hanwha Ocean (formerly Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering) also in South Korea.

The signings bring the total number of ships for which QatarEnergy has signed TCPs to 104 vessels. These ships will support expanded LNG production capacity from the North Field in Qatar and Golden Pass in the U.S., while also meeting long-term fleet replacement requirements. The careful shipowner selection process followed a detailed and rigorous global tender, signifying QatarEnergy’s commitment to expanding its fleet of modern LNG carriers in collaboration with world-class shipowners and in an open and transparent manner.”

The 19 conventional LNG vessels in the latest agreement have a capacity of 174,000 cubic meters each.