China to Develop World’s Largest LNG Carrier to Meet its Surging Demand

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Against a backdrop of surging LNG imports in China. Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard and class society DNV GL have inked an agreement for a joint development project (JDP) for a new 270.000-m3 LNG carrier – the largest-ever ship of this type.

The JDP was signed by Hudong-Zhonghua general manager Chen Jun and DNV GL regional manager for greater China Norbert Kray at LNG2019 in Shanghai.

Efficiency and economies of scale will be the driving goals of the ultra-large LNG carrier design. To achieve this. the JDP will see Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard and DNV GL co-operate in research and development. engineering. classification. and construction of the LNG carrier. A vessel this size could transport enough LNG to provide gas for 4.7M Shanghai homes for a month. 25-30% more efficiently than a 170.000-m3 vessel. according to DNV GL. Additionally. a single 270.000-m3 vessel would increase terminal capacity by 50% without expanding the size of the terminal.

LNG demand in China is expected to continue to grow because of grave concerns about air quality in the country’s major cities. Under its blue skies policy. China has replaced coal-fired power plants with natural gas-fired facilities. There has also been a push for using LNG as a fuel in trucks.

In 2018. China imported 54M tonnes of LNG. a 42% rise over 2017 when 37.8M tonnes of LNG was imported. Continued environmental concerns and rising energy demand will continue to grow demand in China. with imports expected to exceed 100M tonnes by 2030. Shanghai alone imported a record 600M m3 of LNG in January 2019. requiring six 170.000-m3 vessels.