Hudong-Zhonghua joint research and development of a new generation of LNG carriers has won international recognition

On December 16, the world's latest generation of "Changheng series" 174,000 cubic meters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers jointly developed by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, and GTT of France, won the American ship General Approval for Ship Type Design (GDA) and Pre-Class Approval (PCA) issued by four internationally renowned classification societies, including Classification Society (ABS), Bureau Veritas (BV), Lloyd's Register of Shipping (LR), and DNV. Wait for the certificate. This is the latest achievement and the best commentary of the 20 years of friendly cooperation between the two sides. It is also a major event in the history of the development of LNG ships in the world. With the latest design concept, the best technical equipment, the strongest environmental protection performance, and the most forward-looking "Changheng series" ship model finally turned out, it has reached the state of being able to build real ships, and provides better opportunities for global LNG trade. Innovative solutions for efficient and environmentally friendly LNG transportation.

LNG carriers are described as "super-refrigerated trucks" at sea. In order to transport as much natural gas as possible, humans lowered its temperature to minus 163 degrees Celsius and compressed it 600 times into liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is more convenient for high-capacity, high-efficiency, long-distance transportation, LNG ships are therefore came into being.

LNG has a greater risk during transportation, and once a leak occurs, it will cause an explosion. For this reason, LNG ships are internationally recognized as the "three high" ships of high technology, high difficulty and high added value, and together with luxury cruise ships and aircraft carriers, they are known as the "jewel in the crown" of the shipbuilding industry. At present, only a few shipyards in the world are capable of building, and Hudong-Zhonghua is the only base in China that can develop, design and build such high-end products.

In 2001, Hudong Zhonghua joined hands with GTT to carry out technical cooperation. Subsequently, the first NO96 simulation cabin built by Hudong-Zhonghua was a success. For the first time, Chinese shipbuilders transformed the LNG ship containment system from abstract drawings into real ship construction, overcoming the biggest technical difficulty of LNG ships. In 2002, the two parties signed a technical cooperation agreement, starting a new journey of joint design of LNG carriers.

Now Hudong-Zhonghua has become the "chain leader" of China's entire LNG industry chain, and GTT has also become a global leader in cryogenic storage and transportation technology. The 20 years of mutual assistance and mutual support between the two sides have yielded fruitful results and become a model of successful cooperation between Chinese and French enterprises.

The fifth-generation "Changheng series" LNG carriers jointly developed by Hudong-Zhonghua and GTT are the essence of the design of the previous four generations of LNG carriers. They are developed in accordance with the world's latest design concepts and adopt new optimized main dimensions. The ship's width is 46.4 meters. , the depth is 26.25 meters, and the total length is 299 meters. It adopts the latest generation of double skeg lines and is equipped with a number of low-carbon and energy-saving technologies. In the future, Hudong-Zhonghua will cooperate closely with GTT and all parties with a more open attitude, more innovative ideas and clearer goals, keep the same as the beginning, keep the truth and innovation, keep the hope and forge ahead, and lead the Chinese shipbuilding industry to firmly occupy the LNG industry innovation. The commanding heights of development will write a new chapter for China to achieve energy transportation security and "dual carbon" goals.