On October 15, Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding held a naming ceremony for the “AL FANAR”—the sixth vessel in the LNG carrier project for QatarEnergy.
The “AL FANAR” is a fifth-generation “Changheng Series” 174,000 m³ LNG carrier independently developed by Hudong-Zhonghua. The vessel has an overall length of 299 meters, a beam of 46.4 meters, and a draft of 26.25 meters, and is classified by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and the China Classification Society (CCS).
Tailored to the operational standards of QatarEnergy, the vessel features a state-of-the-art dual-skeg hull design and incorporates a range of low-carbon and digital technologies, offering superior speed performance, reduced emissions, and high cargo capacity.
To meet the LNG shipping requirements for the North Field expansion project in Qatar, QatarEnergy launched a global tender for LNG vessel owners in 2021. Shanghai LNG—a subsidiary of COSCO SHIPPING Energy—collaborated closely with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) to jointly win the contracts. The scope includes seven 174,000 m³ LNG carriers for the first phase of the project, and six 271,000 m³ “QC-MAX” LNG carriers—the largest of their kind in the world—for the second phase. All these vessels are to be constructed by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding.
Since the inception of the project, Shanghai LNG has worked in close collaboration with MOL and Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding to strictly oversee the construction quality of new vessels and ensure the operational safety of the fleet. As of the end of September 2026, the first five vessels of the project’s initial phase have safely transported nearly 4 million tonnes of LNG, successfully fulfilling all voyage scheduling requirements set by the charterers.