Qatar Petroleum issued an ‘Invitation to Tender’ (ITT) for the chartering of LNG carriers for its future LNG shipping requirements, including the ongoing expansion projects in the North Field, which will raise Qatar’s LNG production capacity from 77 million tonnes per annum to 126 million tonnes per annum by 2027.

The ITT package, which was issued to a large group of LNG ship owners, was aimed at selecting world-class ship owners for the long-term time charter of LNG carriers to satisfy the future requirements of Qatar Petroleum and its subsidiaries.

In addition to the North Field Expansion Project, the ITT package also covers the requirements for the LNG volumes that will be produced from the Golden Pass LNG export project in the United States. The ITT includes options to replace time charters for a number of Qatar’s LNG carriers that will expire in the next few years.

Minister of State for Energy Affairs and Qatar Petroleum President/CEO HE Saad Sherida Al Kaabi,  said the release of the ITT package reflects the steadfast progress Qatar Petroleum is making in the expansion of their LNG production capacity both in Qatar and abroad.

Bidders’ review

Upon receiving the responses to the ITT, Qatar Petroleum will review bidders’ technical and commercial capabilities with the objective of assigning selected ship owners to the shipyards’ construction slots, previously reserved at a number of Chinese and Korean shipyards.

Qatar Petroleum entered into agreements with major Korean and Chinese shipyards to reserve LNG ship construction capacity for building as many as 100 new LNG carriers to cater to the needs of the North Field Expansion Project as well as for future LNG carrier fleet requirements of Qatar Petroleum.

HE Minister Al Kaabi said the release of the ITT package is a major milestone in their efforts to secure the most qualified ship owners and operators for Qatar’s future LNG carrier fleet.

Qatar Petroleum has entrusted Qatargas with the management of this important ship-owner selection programme. As the world’s premier LNG company, Qatargas has a proven track record of establishing long-term partnerships that have successfully and safely operated a fleet of 45 Q-Flex and Q-Max LNG carriers, the world’s largest LNG carriers, which constitute the backbone of Qatar’s LNG carrier fleet today.

For updates and more information about Qatar Petroleum, visit qp.com.qa.


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