Home-made vessel delivered ahead of schedule

​The newly delivered Qingcheng liquefied natural gas carrier. [Photo/Shanghai Observer]

Shanghai-based Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group Co Ltd, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited, named and delivered the 174,000-cubic-meter liquefied natural gas carrier Qingcheng ahead of schedule.

This vessel is the seventh LNG carrier delivered for the three-phase project of the COSCO Shipping PetroChina International LNG transportation project, bringing Hudong-Zhonghua's total LNG ship deliveries for the year to nine, setting a new annual record for China.

The Qingcheng was independently developed by Hudong-Zhonghua and measures 295 meters in length, 45 meters in beam, and 26.25 meters in depth, and reaches a service speed of 19.5 knots.

It is classified by Lloyd's Register and the China Classification Society and features low evaporation rates, reduced energy consumption, high reliability, and enhanced environmental performance.

The vessel achieves a 1.25 percent reduction in main engine power, lowering fuel consumption. Its main engines and generators are equipped with selective catalytic reduction systems, enabling the vessel to meet the world's strictest environmental standards, whether it runs on fuel or gas.

The project is China's first fully domestically backed LNG carrier initiative. In a groundbreaking achievement, the project realized full renminbi settlement across chartering, shipbuilding, and financing.

The project comprises eight 174,000-cubic-meter LNG carriers for three phases. Hudong-Zhonghua has completed the first and second phases of the project, delivering six vessels that have safely transported more than 5 million metric tons of LNG globally.

So far, Hudong-Zhonghua and COSCO Shipping have jointly built 43 LNG carriers, with 21 additional vessels under construction.