China Merchants Energy Shipping has named the first of six 174,000 cubic-metre liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers under construction at Samsung Heavy Industries' Geoje shipyard in South Korea.
Schulte Marine Concept, which is supervising construction, announced on October 29 that hull SN2694 had been named Lekhraib. Delivery is scheduled for November 16. The vessel will be classed by DNV and built to Hong Kong flag requirements.
China Merchants said the naming ceremony and associated activities took place at Geoje and Busan on October 28–29.
The owner said Lekhraib is the first of its six conventional LNG carriers under the second phase of QatarEnergy's LNG shipping programme. After delivery, the vessel will provide long-term LNG transportation services to QatarEnergy.
The six ships were ordered in 2024 for a combined price of approximately CNY10 billion ($1.5 billion). Deliveries are due between late 2026 and 2028. Each vessel will be chartered to QatarEnergy for 15 years from delivery. The charterer holds options for two further five-year periods.
Lekhraib has a length overall of 290 metres, a beam of 45.8 metres and a service speed of 19.5 knots. The cargo is carried in four tanks fitted with a GTT membrane containment system. Two WinGD 5X72DF-2.2 dual-fuel engines drive twin shafts and propellers.
Under the same QatarEnergy programme, China Merchants also secured four 271,000 cubic-metre QC-Max carriers, which will be built by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding.
Separately, the company took delivery of its first independently operated LNG carrier, Sea Spirit, in September 2025.
