GTT has signed a Technical Assistance and License Agreement with China Merchants Heavy Industries-Jiangsu (CMHI-Jiangsu), a subsidiary of China Merchants Industry Holdings (CMI), one of the three leading shipbuilding groups in China, enabling the yard to construct vessels using GTT membrane technologies, according to the company's release.
GTT and China Merchant Industry Holdings have been cooperating for a decade, with a first Technical Service Agreement signed in 2013 for the maintenance and repair of LNGCs. A cooperation agreement has also been initiated in 2016 for the evaluation of CMHI to implement GTT technologies. This Technical Assistance and License Agreement marks a new stage in the partnership between the two companies as the shipyard is now licensed for the construction of large capacity LNG carriers.
CMHI-Jiangsu began the licensing process earlier this year and successfully obtained it at the mock-up completion ceremony held on October 10.
China Merchants Industry Holdings is a resource integration and management platform of China Merchants Group's marine and offshore equipment manufacturing business. It is one of the Top Three national shipbuilding and repair groups in China. CMI, headquartered in Hong Kong, owns 7 shipbuilding and repair bases in important regions such as Bohai Bay, Yangtze River Economic Zone, Yangtze River Delta area and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Great Bay Area, as well as subsidiaries and institutions aboard in Singapore, Netherland, Italy, Finland and other countries. CMI's business mainly focuses on marine and offshore repairs and conversion, marine and offshore equipment manufacturing, LNG carriers, cruise ships and specialized ships new building.