Q-Max is a type of ship, specifically a membrane type

LNG carrier An LNG carrier is a tank ship designed for transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG). Overview The first oceangoing liquified natural gas tanker in the world was '' Methane Pioneer'', which entered service in 1959 with a carrying capacity of ...

. In the name Q-Max, "Q" stands for

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

and "Max" for the maximum size of ship able to dock at the

Liquefied natural gas Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is natural gas (predominantly methane, CH4, with some mixture of ethane, C2H6) that has been cooled to liquid form for ease and safety of non-pressurized storage or transport. It takes up about 1/600th the volume o ...

(LNG) terminals in Qatar. Ships of this type are the largest LNG carriers in the world.

Technical description

A ship of Q-Max size is long and measures wide and high, with a draft of approximately . It has an LNG capacity of , equal to of natural gas. It is propelled by two slow speed diesel engines burning HFO, which are claimed to be more efficient and environmentally friendly than traditional steam turbines. In case of engine failure, the failed engine can be de-coupled allowing the ship to maintain a speed of 14 knots. LNG is stored at around -162°C. Q-Max vessels are equipped with an on-board re-liquefaction system to handle the boil-off gas, liquefy it and return the LNG to the cargo tanks. The on-board re-liquefaction system allows a reduction of LNG losses, which produces economic and environmental benefits. Overall, it is estimated that Q-Max carriers have about 40% lower energy requirements and carbon emissions than conventional LNG carriers. The quoted estimates do however ignore the additional fuel used to re-liquify boil off gas rather than burn the gas for fuel. The ships run on Heavy fuel oil (HFO), but the ''Rasheeda'' was retrofitted with gas-burning ability in 2015.

Contractors

The Q-Max LNG carriers were ordered in 2005. They were built by

Samsung Heavy Industries Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. () is one of the largest shipbuilders in the world and one of the "Big Three" shipbuilders of South Korea (including Hyundai and Hanwha). Geoje (in South Gyeongsang Province) is one of the largest shipyards ...

and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering. The installed Boil Off Gas re-liquefaction system (Ecorel) is developed and delivered by Cryostar, and approved and certified by Lloyds Register.

Ships

The first Q-Max LNG carrier was floated out of dry-dock in November 2007. The naming ceremony was held on 11 July 2008 at

' shipyard on

Geoje Island Geojedo (), or Geoje Island, is the principal island of Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is joined to land by two bridges from nearby Tongyeong. Gohyeon is the largest town on the island. Geojedo covers an area of , the second l ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. Known before its naming ceremony as Hull 1675, the ship was named '' Mozah'' by Sheikha Mozah Nasser al-Misnad. ''Mozah'' was delivered on 29 September 2008. It is classed by Lloyd's Register. The first trip by a Q-Max tanker was completed by '' Mozah'' itself on 11 January 2009, when the tanker delivered 266,000 cubic metres of LNG to the Port of Bilbao BBG Terminal. Days before, the vessel had transited the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...

for the first time. 4 Q-Max LNG carriers are operated by the STASCo (Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Ltd, London part of Shell International and 10 by NSQL (Nakilat Shipping Qatar Limited). They are owned by Qatar Gas Transport Company (Nakilat) and they are chartered to Qatar's LNG producers QatarEnergy LNG. In total, contracts were signed for the construction of 14 Q-Max vessels. Fourteen sister vessels are in service named: Mozah, Al Mayeda, Mekaines, Al Mafyar, Umm Slal, Bu Samra, Al Ghuwairiya, Lijmiliya, Al Samriya, Al Dafna, Shagra, Zarga, Aamira, and Rasheeda.NAKILAT, Our World-Class Fleet List (see Q-Max)
/ref> All 14 Q-Max ships were delivered in 2008 through 2010.

References

External links

Tanker shipsShip sizes
{{Ship measurements LNG tankers Ship measurements

Technical description

Contractors

Ships

See also

References

External links