China delivers most advanced LNG carrier after slashing build time

China on Friday delivered a 174,000-cubic-meter liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier that is the country's first to use a fully domestic set of cryogenic valves in its cargo containment system – a milestone that completes a full domestic supply chain for large LNG carriers, from materials and design to equipment, according to China Media Group (CMG).

The vessel, named Puteri Johor, was built by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). It is 299 meters long and 46.4 meters wide, with a deck area equivalent to three football fields. Its four cargo tanks can carry 174,000 cubic meters of LNG, enough to supply 3.3 million households for a month.

The ship's dual-fuel low-speed propulsion system and a next-generation cargo containment system are both world-class. According to Wu An, the vessel's chief designer, daily carbon emissions are reduced by about 10 tonnes, while fuel and gas consumption drops by 10%, and the loading rate improves from 98% to 98.5%. That half-percentage-point gain translates to an extra 500 tonnes of LNG per voyage.

The cargo containment system must keep LNG at minus 163 degrees Celsius. A single large LNG carrier requires over 1,000 cryogenic valves, each of which must withstand extreme cold, repeated opening and closing, and thermal shock over a 40-year service life.

China's first domestically built LNG carrier, the Dapeng Sun, had a domestic part rate below 30%, with core equipment entirely imported. After more than a decade of development, the rate has risen to 80%, and the containment system now achieves 100% domestic sourcing capability.

China's LNG carrier supply chain now includes more than 130 companies. Build time has fallen from 40 months to 16 months, and annual output has risen from one ship every three years to 11 deliveries per year. Hudong-Zhonghua's order book stands at nearly 60 vessels, with production slots filled through 2030. The yard secured 24 carriers under Qatar's "Hundred Ships Program," the largest single contract by both value and cargo capacity globally.

The yard also signed a deal in January with a Greek owner for four to six 174,000-cubic-meter carriers, its first entry into the European market.

The Puteri Johor will operate on the Malaysia-to-China route, CMG reported.