Shanghai (China), September 09 (QNA) - QatarEnergy has signed an agreement on Monday with China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) for the construction of 6 additional state-of-the-art QC-Max vessels, bringing the total number of LNG vessels on order under its fleet expansion program to 128, including 24 QC-Max mega vessels.

The QC-Max vessels, which will be built at China's Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard, a wholly-owned CSSC subsidiary, are the largest LNG vessels ever built with a capacity of 271,000 cubic meters each. The new advanced carriers are scheduled to be delivered between 2028 and 2031.

The agreement was signed during a special ceremony held in Shanghai on Monday, by HE Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of QatarEnergy Saad Sherida Al Kaabi, Chairman of Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co. Ltd Chen Jianliang, and President of China Shipbuilding Trading Co. Ltd. Hu Kai.

The ceremony was attended by HE CEO of QatarEnergy LNG Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Chief Financial Officer of CSSC Jia Haiying, and Chairman of CSSC Wen Gang, along with a lineup of senior Chinese government officials, and senior executives from QatarEnergy, QatarEnergy LNG and CSSC.

In his comments on this occasion, HE Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of QatarEnergy Saad Sherida Al Kaabi said, "The signing of today's agreement is underscored by the strategic importance of QatarEnergy's historic LNG fleet expansion program and its commitment to maintaining a leadership position in the global LNG market." HE Minister Al Kaabi added, "We are very pleased to expand our excellent working relationship with CSSC and Hudong-Zhonghua, one of the world's premier shipbuilders. We look forward to receiving these advanced LNG vessels and expanding our role in providing the world with the cleaner energy needed for a realistic and practical energy transition." The new ship order is a testament to QatarEnergy's focus on quality and reliability. The six new advanced vessels are in addition to 18 QC-Max vessels recently ordered from Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard. This brings the total number of QC-Max vessels ordered by QatarEnergy to 24, with a total value of about USD 8 billion.

The QC-Max vessels, designed with cutting-edge technology, will enhance QatarEnergy's capacity to meet the growing global LNG demand while reinforcing its dedication to operational excellence and environmental sustainability. With enhanced fuel efficiency and reduced emissions, these ships are engineered to meet the highest safety and environmental standards, representing a significant advancement in sustainable innovation.

QatarEnergy is an integrated energy company committed to the sustainable development of cleaner energy resources as part of the energy transition in the State of Qatar and beyond. (QNA)