Chinese shipbuilding enterprise to build 18 ultra-large LNG transport ships for Qatar

A Chinese shipbuilding firm will construct 18 ultra-large liquefied natural gas (LNG) transport ships each with a payload capacity of 271,000 cubic meters for Qatar.

The deal for the world's largest single shipbuilding order between China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and QatarEnergy was signed Monday.

The LNG transport ships are dubbed "sea-going super refrigerated trucks" that carry LNG at temperatures as low as minus 163 degrees Celsius. Such ships are among the most challenging ship types to construct in the world.

The 271,000-cubic-meter LNG transport ship has a total length of 344 meters, a breadth of 53.6 meters, and a depth of 27.2 meters, making it the world's largest LNG transport ship. Compared to conventional 174,000-cubic-meter LNG transport ships, it boasts a 57 percent increase in carrying capacity.

The ships will be independently designed and constructed by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of the CSSC.

Chinese shipbuilding enterprise to build 18 ultra-large LNG transport ships for Qatar

Chinese shipbuilding enterprise to build 18 ultra-large LNG transport ships for Qatar

Chinese shipbuilding enterprise to build 18 ultra-large LNG transport ships for Qatar

China's first vertical high-altitude simulation test bench for rocket engines completed its ignition test in Beijing on Wednesday.

Conducted by the Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the ignition test marks the formal completion and operational readiness of the test facility.

The bench will be used for future tests of three-stage engines of China's new generation carrier rocket.

It can simulate the status of the engine in a vacuum environment and conduct ignition tests lasting thousands of seconds.

"We conducted a 50-second high-altitude simulation test for the purpose of comprehensively assessing the overall condition of the test bench," said Xia Wei from the CASC.

Upon operation, the test bench will provide guarantee conditions for China's major aerospace projects.

China's first vertical high-altitude simulation test bench for rocket engines completes ignition test