On August 4, the first vessel of the second phase of China's largest-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier construction project, the "Green Energy Chuan," was named and delivered one month ahead of schedule at Shanghai's Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding. Following the full delivery of all six large LNG carriers in the first phase this June, the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) medium- and long-term FOB resource support project has achieved another milestone, marking the continued acceleration of China's large-scale LNG carrier construction capabilities.

The project is funded and built by CNOOC Energy Development, China Merchants Energy Shipping (CMES) under China Merchants Group, NYK Line, and CNOOC Gas & Power, with shareholdings of 45%, 25%, 25%, and 5%, respectively. The "Green Energy Chuan" will be managed by Dongsheng LNG Ship Management Co., Ltd., a joint venture established in 2023 by CMES, CNOOC Energy Development, and NYK Line.

This is also the first LNG carrier invested in by NYK Line and built at a Chinese shipyard, and it will serve Chinese customers under a long-term charter contract.

The "Green Energy Chuan" continues the use of China's independently developed "Changheng Series" fifth-generation design, which was also adopted for the six vessels in the first phase. The vessel has an overall length of 299 meters, a molded breadth of 46.4 meters, a molded depth of 26.25 meters, and a speed of 19.5 knots. It is equipped with GTT's latest-generation No. 96 Super+ cargo containment system, with a boil-off rate controlled within 0.085%. It features X-DF dual-fuel engines, the latest twin-skeg hull form, and a deep-well reliquefaction unit, and innovatively incorporates an exhaust gas recirculation system. The vessel offers excellent speed performance, light empty weight, low overall energy consumption, wide shore-side compatibility, smart operation and maintenance, and strong adaptability of the cargo handling system to different shipping routes.

Compared with the previous generation, its cargo capacity has increased by 800 cubic meters, and daily carbon emissions have been reduced by more than 10 tons. Its Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) meets Phase IV requirements ahead of schedule, and its energy consumption indicators, environmental performance, and reliability all rank among the world's top levels.

On June 17, the "Green Energy Yun," as the final vessel of Phase I of the FOB project, was officially delivered, marking the completion and entry into operation of all six newly built LNG carriers for CNOOC. To date, the "Green Energy" fleet has transported a cumulative total of 3.366 million tons of LNG, with its shipping network spanning five continents and calling at more than 50 receiving terminals worldwide.

Large LNG carriers are known as one of the "three pearls on the crown" of shipbuilding and are internationally recognized as a vessel type featuring high technology, high difficulty, and high added value. On July 16, China's shipbuilding industry statistics for the first half of 2026 were released, with all three major shipbuilding indicators hitting new record highs and continuing to lead the global market. Among them, new orders for green vessels accounted for over 68% of the international market share, maintaining China's global lead in green vessels and becoming a core track for the transformation and upgrading of the country's shipbuilding industry.