QatarEnergy said it signed a long-term agreement with Qatar Gas Transport Company Limited (Nakilat) under which Nakilat will own and operate nine “QC-Max” class LNG vessels, the largest LNG vessels ever built.
The agreement was signed May 8 by Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, the Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of QatarEnergy and Abdullah Al-Sulaiti, the CEO of Nakilat, in a special ceremony held at QatarEnergy’s headquarters in Doha, and attended by senior executives from QatarEnergy, QatarEnergy LNG, and Nakilat.
The nine QC-Max vessels, with a capacity of 271,000 cubic meters each, constitute half of the 18 advanced QC-Max class LNG vessels that will be constructed at China’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard.
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To date, QatarEnergy’s fleet expansion program encompassed the execution of shipbuilding contracts and time charter agreements for 104 conventional LNG vessels and 18 QC-Max class LNG vessels, for a total of 122 ultra-modern vessels, with the first new ship expected to be delivered by the end of the third quarter of this year.
Minister Al-Kaabi said: “We are very proud to have Qatar’s flagship LNG shipping and maritime champion join a list of world-class shipowners operating our state-of-the-art QC-Max LNG vessels – the largest ever built.”
The long-term agreement for the operation of the nine vessels follows February’s selection of Nakilat as the owner and operator of 25 conventional-size LNG vessels. It also follows the signing of similar agreements in Beijing with three Chinese ship owners to operate nine new QC-Max class LNG vessels as part of QatarEnergy’s LNG fleet expansion program.
