QatarEnergy signed an agreement with China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) for the construction of 18 ultra-modern QC-Max size LNG vessels, marking a significant addition to its historic LNG fleet expansion program.

The new vessels, with a capacity of 271,000 cubic meters each, will be constructed at China’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard, a CSSC wholly-owned subsidiary, and will feature state of the art technological innovation and environmental performance.

The agreement was signed in Beijing by Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of QatarEnergy, and by Chen Jianliang, Chairman of Hudong‐Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) and Li Hongtao, Chairman of China Shipbuilding Trading Co. Ltd. during a special ceremony attended by senior executives from QatarEnergy, QatarEnergy LNG, and China State Shipbuilding Corporation.

The signing ceremony was attended by a number of senior Chinese government officials and Mohamed Abdullah Al-Dehaimi, Qatar’s Ambassador in the People’s Republic of China.

Speaking at the ceremony, Al-Kaabi, said: “With a total value of almost 6 billion dollars for these ultra-modern, largest ever LNG vessels by size, the agreement we signed today is the industry’s largest single shipbuilding contract ever.”

Al-Kaabi added: “It is our honor to continue working with China State Shipbuilding Corporation and Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard to develop and build some of the top-tier LNG vessels renowned for their exceptional environmental qualities. And as we take this important step together, I would like to affirm QatarEnergy’s determination to live up to our commitment to provide a safe and reliable energy source in the form of LNG, while always giving priority to environmental sustainability.”

Al-Kaabi also highlighted that 12 conventional-size LNG vessels are currently under construction at Hudong-Zhonghua, and that delivery of the first such vessels is expected by the third quarter of this year.

Eight of the 18 QC-Max size LNG vessels will be delivered in 2028 and 2029, while the other ten will be delivered in 2030 and 2031.

Last month, QatarEnergy announced the signing of Time Charter Party agreements for a total of 104 conventional-size vessels (174,000 cubic meters) constituting the largest shipbuilding and leasing program ever in the history of the industry.