On December 4, 2025, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE) announced that a joint venture company held a naming ceremony for two 174,000m3 LNG vessels for QatarEnergy at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. on 3 December. The joint venture company is sponsored by “K” Line together with Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, China LNG Shipping (Holdings) Limited., and MISC Berhad through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Portovenere and Lerici ( Labuan) Pte Ltd.
The first vessel was named “SHARQ” by the wife of Yukikazu Myochin, Director and Chairperson of the Board of “K” LINE. The second vessel was named “SHRA’OUH” by wife of Mr. Takaya Soga, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha. “SHARQ” is derived from the name of an eastern city of Qatar, and “SHRA’OUH” is derived from the name of an island in Qatar.
The new vessel measures approximately 299 meters in overall length, with a beam of 46.4 meters, a cargo hold capacity of 174,000 cubic meters, and a design speed of 19.5 knots. Equipped with the X-DF 2.1 iCER propulsion system, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions while minimizing environmental impact through low-fuel-consumption operation across a wide speed range.
The vessels are the seventh and eighth of a series of 12 LNG vessels that the joint venture companies have been building for QatarEnergy. “SHARQ” is the first of three vessels in this series to be managed by “K” LINE Group.
QatarEnergy is the world’s largest LNG provider and will allocate the newbuilding vessels to transport LNG around the world. The newbuilding vessels are equipped with X-DF 2.1 iCER which will contribute to reduction of GHG emissions and realize the ease of environmental impact by lower fuel consumption in operation. X-DF 2.1 iCER is a low speed dual-fuel engine with gas at low pressure.
In its Medium-Term Management Plan published in May 2022, “K” LINE has placed LNG business as one of the top priority areas in the future investment. “K” LINE will further expand long-term contracts and accommodate growing energy demands by responding to various customers’ needs.