Entering 2026, Chinese shipbuilders have already received orders for 12 liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers in a single month, injecting strong momentum into China’s shipbuilding industry!
According to Jiangnan Shipyard, on January 30, China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s Jiangnan Shipyard, in collaboration with China Shipbuilding Trading Co. Ltd (CSTC), successfully signed a contract for the construction of four 175,000 m³ large LNG carriers. The series of vessels is scheduled for delivery between 2028 and 2029.
The four 175,000 m³ LNG carriers contracted represent Jiangnan Shipyard’s latest generation of intelligent, flexible LNG transport solutions. Based on a delivered prototype platform, these vessels have undergone comprehensive optimization and upgrades to achieve performance enhancements and emission reduction targets. Leveraging systems engineering leadership and a multidisciplinary collaborative design philosophy, the new generation of LNG carriers achieves overall performance optimization.
This vessel features Jiangnan’s independently developed next-generation large twin-skeg design, significantly enhancing hydrodynamic performance. It is equipped with the latest WinGD XDF 2.2 main engine utilizing LNG as primary fuel, integrated with iCER and VCR technologies, along with low methane slip generators, optimized shaft generators, and a reliquefaction system. This advanced configuration reduces gas/fuel consumption while significantly lowering carbon emissions and methane slip.
Upon delivery, this fleet of LNG carriers will be chartered to Shell Singapore Pte Ltd (SSPL) under long-term agreements. Minsheng Financial Leasing will serve as the shipowner, Shandong Marine Energy will handle commercial management, and Shell International Trading Shipping will oversee technical operations.
Jiangnan Shipyard stated that this agreement represents a deepening of long-term strategic collaboration across the industrial chain, marking the formal establishment of a comprehensive industrial chain cooperation model that bridges international energy demand, China’s shipping capabilities, and advanced manufacturing expertise. This partnership brings together leading forces across the industrial chain, serving as a landmark project for enhanced cooperation between the international energy market, China’s shipping industry, and high-end equipment manufacturing. It also stands as a significant milestone for Jiangnan Shipyard, signifying global recognition of its independent innovation capabilities in the large LNG carrier sector within the premium market.
As a globally influential benchmark enterprise in ship leasing, Minsheng Financial Leasing provided core financial support for this project, serving as the pivotal link in its successful implementation. This initiative represents both a significant practice in Minsheng Financial Leasing’s deepening commitment to green shipping finance and a demonstration of its professional capabilities and innovative vitality in financing large-scale energy transportation equipment.
Shandong Marine Energy, a subsidiary of the provincial state-owned enterprise Shandong Ocean Group, maintains a long-standing cooperative relationship with Jiangnan Shipyard. Its affiliated companies have placed orders with Jiangnan Shipyard for two 175,000m³ LNG carriers and sixteen Very Large Ethane Carriers (VLECs). This collaboration marks a further deepening of the strategic partnership between the two parties.
For Jiangnan Shipyard, this order further solidifies its leading position in the global market for large LNG carrier construction. Leveraging its independently developed core technologies and exceptional construction capabilities, Jiangnan Shipyard is steadily emerging as a key global supplier of clean energy transportation equipment.
This marks the second LNG carrier order announced by Jiangnan Shipyard in 2026. The first order is for two 175,000 m³ LNG carriers ordered by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, which also represents the first publicly disclosed LNG carrier order from a Chinese shipbuilder in 2026.