The world's largest! The largest LNG transport ship designed by China Shipbuilding Corporation Shanghai East China Development has obtained AIP certificates from the four major international classification societies

On September 5th, at the Gastech 2023 conference held in Singapore, the design of a 271000 cubic meter ultra large liquefied natural gas transport vessel developed by Hudong China Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Shipbuilding Corporation, was awarded a principle recognition certificate by the four major international classification societies of the United States, Lloyd's Register of Shipping, Norway, and France. This is the largest LNG transport ship developed and designed globally so far, which means that China's LNG ship research and development, design, and construction have entered the super large field in one fell swoop, and it also marks a big step forward for China's high-end ship research and design capabilities towards the goal of leading the world.

It is understood that this "giant" and "large block" LNG carrier with the strongest carrying capacity in the field of LNG transportation today has a total length of 344 meters, a width of 53.6 meters, a depth of 27.2 meters, and a designed draft of 12.0 meters. It adopts a dual fuel low-speed engine propulsion and NO96 Super+enclosure system. Designed according to the latest global shipping concept, it has a prominent feature of 5 "X".

Ma "X" capacity. Adopting a 5-compartment plan with compact scale. The world's largest cabin capacity of 271000 cubic meters is 57% higher than the conventional 174000 cubic meters of large LNG ships.

E "X" cell performance. Adopting multi-objective optimization for the twin stern fin shape, it has excellent speed. Equipped with the latest generation of cargo enclosure system, the evaporation rate is lower. The energy consumption for transporting goods per ton of sea is 9.9% lower than that of a 174000 cubic meter LNG ship.

E "X" tra safety. The liquid tank adopts an enhanced insulation module, equipped with a real-time sway monitoring system, a stress monitoring and collision prevention system for the hull configuration, multiple guarantees, and aviation level safety and reliability.

FLE "X" is an ble operation. Equipped with a powerful re liquefaction system and a reverse propulsion system for shaft propulsion, the control is flexible; The carbon emission intensity CII is 23% lower than that of 174000 cubic meters of LNG ships, which can flexibly match various operating intervals on different routes.

E "X" citation compatibility. Although it is the largest LNG ship, its diversified optimized draft and loading design can reach over 70 shore stations on all continents around the world, covering major mainstream shipping routes, and has excellent ship shore compatibility.

At present, global LNG trade is booming, with significant growth in LNG exports from the Middle East and North America. China's LNG imports are also showing a high-speed growth trend year by year. Therefore, the successful development of this 271000 cubic meter ultra large LNG carrier with the title of "world champion" by Hudong Zhonghua can be said to be timely and well received, as it fills the demand gap with a single ship's large capacity and meets market expectations.

According to calculations, 271000 cubic meters of LNG ships can transport 155 million cubic meters of natural gas at once, providing a month's worth of gas for 4.7 million households in Shanghai. Without expanding the berths at the receiving terminal, the receiving capacity of the terminal will be significantly improved, effectively ensuring the continuous growth of China's LNG import demand. Therefore, developing ultra large LNG ships is undoubtedly the best solution for economy, efficiency, and innovation, and is expected to lead a new round of revolution in the world of LNG ships.

LNG transport ships are recognized as one of the most difficult to build ship types in the world, and are "super refrigerated trucks" that carry LNG at minus 163 degrees Celsius. They are known as the "jewels on the crown" of the world's shipbuilding industry. As the first Chinese shipping company with independent design and construction capabilities for large LNG transport ships and actual ship delivery performance, Hudong China is also the only global shipping company capable of simultaneously constructing two types of LNG ships, NO96 and MARK III. It has delivered more than 40 LNG transport ships of various types. At present, there are nearly 50 orders for holding LNG ships, and the production task has been scheduled for 2028.

It is worth mentioning that Shanghai East China has been deeply cultivating the LNG industry for 26 years, from ocean to offshore, from inland to inland, from small, medium, and large to the super large LNG ships that have been awarded the AIP certificate. Once again, it provides efficient and low-carbon innovative solutions to the global offshore LNG industry chain, forming a full range and coverage of high-end LNG products, becoming the true "chain leader" of China's entire LNG industry chain.

*Reprinted from official WeChat account released by Pudong