Recently, the 79,800 cubic meter LNG carrier “Pinghu”, built by Jiangsu Yixiang Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. in Yizheng City, successfully completed its launch. This is also the largest LNG carrier ever undertaken and built in the shipbuilding history of the Yangzhou region along the Yangtze River.
It is reported that the “Pinghu” combines scale and advanced technology in its core parameters and technical configuration. The vessel has an overall length of 229.8 meters, a beam of 38.0 meters, and a tank capacity of 78,900 cubic meters. It utilizes bilobe Type C independent tanks, with a design temperature of -163°C and a design vapor pressure of 3.85 bar. The laden draft is 8.50 meters, and the service speed is 17.0 knots. It is powered by a dual-fuel main engine with a rated power of 14,310 kW and is classed for unlimited navigation areas. It is the world’s first 78,900 cubic meter LNG carrier to be classed by the China Classification Society.
Given that this vessel is the largest ship launched using an airbag launch method in the Yangzhou region, Yangzhou Maritime Safety Administration proactively engaged with the shipbuilding company to provide professional maritime technical support during the launch process. They offered expert guidance on hull strength, airbag configuration, anchor dropping timing, and launch travel distance, conducting pre-emptive risk control focusing on safety standards, procedural compliance, and detail coordination. Simultaneously, a detailed and comprehensive traffic management plan for the launch and berthing operation was formulated.
It is understood that this 78,900 cubic meter LNG ship was invested in and built by Zhejiang Huaxiang Shipping Co., Ltd., with its keel-laying ceremony held in July 2023. Huaxiang Shipping is the first privately-owned enterprise in China engaged in domestic coastal inter-provincial LNG ship transportation, registered and established in 2014. Since its establishment, the company, together with its major shareholder Zhejiang Huachang Shipping Co., Ltd., has been committed to researching and developing technical solutions for building LNG carriers.
In 2014, after “competing” on the same stage with numerous central state-owned enterprises and large state-owned enterprises, including CNOOC and China Shipping Group, Huaxiang Shipping ultimately, alongside CNOOC, obtained the establishment approval from the Ministry of Transport, securing the operational qualification for LNG carriers in Chinese coastal and inland waters. This made it one of the first two companies approved by the Ministry of Transport to operate domestic coastal LNG transportation along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River.
In the same year, Huaxiang Shipping placed an order at Qidong Fengshun Ship Heavy Industry for its first 14,000 cubic meter LNG carrier, the “Huaxiang 8”. This was the first small-sized, multi-functional LNG feeder carrier domestically designed to include a low-temperature cargo system and a gas supply system, with a total cost of 400 million RMB. The entire ship was designed by the 708 Research Institute, including the LNG cargo system, gas supply and treatment system, liquid tanks, etc., with the localization rate of the entire ship’s equipment reaching as high as 98%. The “Huaxiang 8” was successfully delivered to the shipowner Huaxiang Shipping in 2017. In 2020, the vessel completed its conversion and commissioning for use as a Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (FSRU).
