On October 25, the naming and delivery ceremony of the first LNG vessel, M.V. SHAOLIN, built under the project of COSCO SHIPPING and PetroChina International was held at Changxing Island Dock of Shanghai Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. Ms. Zhao Ying, General Counsel of PetroChina, named the new vessel and cut the cable as the godmother of the new ship. Executive Vice President of COSCO SHIPPING Mr. Huang Xiaowen, Vice President of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) Mr. Sun Wei, President of PetroChina International Mr. Wu Junli, President of Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Mr. Chen Jun, Director and President of COSCO SHIPPING Energy Mr. Zhu Maijin, Independent Director of COSCO SHIPPING Energy Mr. Victor Huang, as well as leaders and guests from various organizations, including CNPC, COSCO SHIPPING, CSSC, China Shipowners Mutual Assurance Association, Hong Kong Shipping Register, and China Classification Society (CCS), also attended the ceremony and witnessed the naming of the new vessel.
Representatives of Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, China Shipbuilding Trading, and the shipowners – COSCO SHIPPING LNG and COSCO SHIPPING Petroleum – signed the delivery document. Meanwhile, representatives of PetroChina International, COSCO SHIPPING LNG and COSCO SHIPPING Petroleum signed the ship charter agreement, marking the official delivery of the vessel six days earlier than the contractual delivery date and accomplishing a major feat in jointly implementing the national energy development strategy by CNPC, COSCO SHIPPING and CSSC.
In his speech, Mr. Huang Xiaowen pointed out that two years ago, CNPC joined with COSCO SHIPPING and CSSC to initiate the first LNG transportation project sponsored purely by Chinese organizations in an effort to implement a long-term overseas LNG contract. Participated in by Chinese charterers, shipowners, shipbuilders, financiers, inspectors, ship managers and insurers, the project established a model of supply chain cooperation in China’s LNG industry chain, which is also of great significance for safeguarding China’s national energy security.
As the first vessel built among the three sister vessels for Phase I of the project, M.V. SHAOLIN has an LOA of 295 meters, molded beam of 45 meters, and molded depth of 26.25 meters. With a design speed of 19.5 knots/hour, it has a shipping capacity of 174,000 cubic meters. The vessel adopts the latest generation of dual-fuel low-speed propulsion power system and is built on large LNG vessels already put into operation by COSCO SHIPPING Energy, only with a better performance and reduced energy consumption ( daily fuel consumption is less than 100 tons). The vessel is equipped with advanced environmental protection devices to lower various emission parameters under the condition of comprehensive energy conservation and can meet the most stringent emission standards of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) whether operating in gas or fuel mode. It has reached the world’s top level in terms of technical performance, environmental protection, and reliability, fully reflecting the green low-carbon development philosophy held to by COSCO SHIPPING.
