"Haiyang Shiyou 302," a 12,000-cubic meter liquefied natural gas (LNG) transport refueling vessel, was put into service in Qidong City, east China's Jiangsu Province, on Sunday.

With a length of 132.9 meters and a deck bigger than a standard football pitch, the vessel can meet the needs of 480,000 households for natural gas for a month.

Using an electric power system, the vessel is able to sail on rivers and seas, boasting two tanks with a height of more than 20 meters. The mast of the vessel can also be folded when encountering bridges along the Yangtze River.

"The vessel will enhance the service capacity and competitiveness of ports in China," Huang Guoliang, deputy chief engineer of oil production service branch of CNOOC Energy Development Co., Ltd. told China Media Group, adding that the vessel can replenish natural gas for a large number of foreign cargo ships and merchant ships in China more conveniently to promote green development of the global shipping industry.