Yangzi Xinfu Delivers China's First Privately Built Large LNG Carrier
The 175,000 cu m Yangze LNG 01 goes on a four to five year charter to a commodity trader
The first 175,000 cu m large LNG carrier Yangze LNG 01, built by Jiangsu Yangzi Xinfu Shipbuilding under the Jiangsu Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group, has been officially delivered.
It is the first large LNG carrier completed and delivered by a private Chinese shipbuilder, and it brings the number of Chinese yards with a proven record in constructing and delivering large gas carriers to five, the highest of any country. Until now that capability in China sat with state-owned builders, and the delivery marks the point at which membrane containment work moved outside that group.
The vessel measures 297 m overall, with a beam of 46 m and a depth of 26.5 m, and is classed by Bureau Veritas. It uses the GTT Mark III Flex membrane containment system. Main propulsion consists of two dual-fuel MAN 5G70ME-C10.5-GA-EGRBP engines, and the ship carries a reliquefaction plant rated at 1.5 tonnes per hour. It complies with the emission standards set by the International Maritime Organization in both fuel-oil and gas-fuel operating modes.
Class notations awarded by Bureau Veritas include LNGfuel dualfuel, AVM-DPS for propulsion redundancy, SYS-NEQ-1 for one-man bridge operation, CLEAN SHIP and GREEN PASSPORT. That set covers the operational and environmental requirements a modern gas carrier needs to trade internationally without restriction.
Commercially the ship is already placed. Yangze LNG 01 has secured a time charter with a globally established commodity trading house for a period of four to five years, which removes the employment risk that would otherwise attach to a first-of-class vessel from a builder without a delivery record in the segment.
The delivery arrives as Chinese capacity in gas tonnage continues to expand, with Hudong-Zhonghua announcing capacity expansion plans in August focused specifically on LNG carriers. For charterers, the practical consequence is a wider set of berths capable of taking membrane gas newbuildings at a time when Korean slots through 2029 are largely committed.
