China's first self-developed new large-scale LNG carrier delivered in Shanghai

China

China's first self-developed new large-scale LNG carrier delivered in Shanghai

2024-11-26 05:09 Last Updated At：09:07

China delivered its first domestically developed new large liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier to an international customer in Shanghai on Monday, marking a significant advancement in the country's shipbuilding industry.

This vessel, featuring cutting-edge cargo containment systems, fills a crucial gap in China's shipbuilding capabilities in this domain.

Constructed by the Jiangnan Shipyard (Group) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, the vessel utilizes the latest third-generation membrane containment system for storing liquefied natural gas.

This technology reduces the insulation and shielding layer thickness from 530mm to 400mm, allowing for increased cargo capacity compared to the previous models. The new design also minimizes cargo evaporation during transport, enhancing safety and promoting energy efficiency, meeting international standards. "This vessel epitomizes the internationally prevalent membrane-type LNG cargo hold structure, divided into four compartments capable of meeting a city's one-month LNG demand in a single trip. Given the stringent safety requirements for LNG transport, the ship is equipped with over 10,000 alarm points and is designed for a lifespan of 40 years," said Song Bowen, the chief construction engineer for the LNG carrier at Jiangnan Shipyard.

The delivery marks a breakthrough for China, breaking the previous dominance of foreign shipyards in the construction of this type of LNG carrier. It also enhances China's position in the high-tech, high-value shipbuilding sector.

"With this vessel, China has achieved a zero breakthrough in this field. The successful construction of this LNG carrier will facilitate closer cooperation in energy transportation and marine equipment. Currently, we have a total of eight orders for this model, and we plan to progressively optimize and iterate on the product to introduce more efficient and leading-edge vessels," said Song.

China launches Shenzhou-23 manned spaceship

China's Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country's northwest on Sunday, sending three astronauts to its orbiting space station.

The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, lifted off from the launch site at 23:08 Beijing Time (15:08 GMT).

The crew members consist of mission commander Zhu Yangzhu, and fellow astronauts Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, who is also the first astronaut from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

In another notable first, one of the crew members is set to undertake a year-long stay aboard the space station, double the usual duration of previous Shenzhou missions.

After entering orbit, the Shenzhou-23 spaceship will perform a fast automated rendezvous and docking with the radial port of the space station core module Tianhe, forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft.

Shenzhou-23 marks the 40th flight of China's manned spaceflight program and the seventh manned flight mission since the Tiangong space station entered its application and development phase in late 2022.