On April 28 through its subsidiary, NYK concluded a long-term time-charter contract with CNOOC Gas and Power Singapore Trading & Marketing Pte. Ltd. for six liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, in addition to a shipbuilding contract for the vessels with Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co. Ltd.
This is NYK's first long-term time-charter contract for an LNG carrier with the CNOOC. The six vessels are scheduled to be delivered between 2026 and 2027 and will be mainly engaged in LNG transportation to China.
NYK has also signed a project head of agreement with a subsidiary of China Merchants Energy Shipping Co. Ltd (CMES), a Chinese shipping company, to jointly own and manage the vessels. Under the partnership with CMES, NYK will provide stable and safe LNG transportation to the CNOOC.
The LNG carriers will be equipped with an X-DF2.1 iCER, a next-generation dual-fuel engine that can operate on fuel oil or boil off gas stored in its cargo tank. The vessels will each have a cargo tank capacity of about 174,000 cubic meters and a membrane-type tank that will make use of advanced insulating materials to reduce the boil-off rate (percentage of gas volume that vaporizes during navigation).
Vessel Particulars:
- Length overall: about 299.00 meters
- Moulded Breadth: 46.40 meters
- Main engine: X-DF2.1 iCER
- Cargo tank capacity: about 174,000 cubic meters
- Shipbuilder: Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd.
- Delivery year: 2026–2027
Source: NYK