Al Sabsab, the fifth of seven new LNG carriers ordered for long-term charter to QatarEnergy under a programme involving Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, has been named at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in China, according to MOL.
The naming ceremony for the 174,000-cbm vessel was held on 14 August. Al Sabsab takes its name from a location in Qatar that was once known as an oasis.
The vessel is Hudong-Zhonghua’s 10th 174,000-cbm LNG carrier built for QatarEnergy and the fifth ship in the seven-vessel programme involving MOL. Al Sabsab is 299 metres long, with a beam of 46.4 metres and a moulded depth of 26.25 metres. The vessel is based on Hudong-Zhonghua’s fifth-generation Changheng LNG carrier design. The ship was delivered at Hudong-Zhonghua on 17 August, three days after the naming ceremony.
MOL signed long-term charter agreements with QatarEnergy for four Hudong-Zhonghua newbuildings in April 2022 and another three LNG carriers in November 2022. The Japanese group also has six additional LNG carriers contracted under long-term time charter agreements with QatarEnergy, which will take the number of MOL vessels introduced under QatarEnergy’s North Field Expansion Project to 13.
MOL is a Tokyo-headquartered Japanese shipping and social infrastructure group founded in 1884. Its businesses include ocean transport, and it operates a fleet of more than 900 vessels. The group has been involved in LNG transportation since 1983.
QatarEnergy is the charter counterparty for the LNG carrier programme linked to the North Field Expansion Project.
Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding is the Chinese shipbuilder constructing the seven-vessel series.