Qatar Petroleum plans to build 100 or more LNG carriers

Q-Max LNG carrier

Qatar Petroleum has issued an “invitation to tender” for the reservation of the shipbuilding capacity required for the construction of the 100 or more LNG carrier newbuilds required for its North Field Expansion (NFE) Project, which will increase Qatar’s LNG production capacity from 77 million tons per annum (mta) to 110 mta starting in 2024. The tender also covers shipping requirements for the LNG volumes that will be purchased and taken off by Ocean LNG (a 70%/30% joint venture between Qatar Petroleum and ExxonMobil) from the Golden Pass LNG export project in the United States, which is currently under construction and is planned to start by 2024. The tender also includes options for replacement requirements for Qatar’s existing LNG fleet.

“With this significant step, Qatar Petroleum embarks on another major LNG shipbuilding campaign expected to initially deliver 60 LNG carriers in support of the planned production expansion, with a potential to exceed 100 new LNG carriers over the next decade,” said Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs and President & CEO of Qatar Petroleum. “This important initiative reinforces Qatar Petroleum’s commitment to its global reputation as a safe and reliable LNG producer at all times and under all circumstances.”

Qatar Petroleum has entrusted Qatargas to execute this LNG shipbuilding program on its behalf. It notes that “Qatargas has an established history of safely and successfully delivering such major projects. This includes the previous campaign that resulted in the construction of 45 Q-Flex and Q-Max ships, the world’s largest LNG carriers, which constitute the backbone of Qatar’s LNG carrier fleet today.​“