In a significant boost to QatarEnergy’s expanding LNG fleet, two newly built liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers — Sharq and Shra’ouh — were officially named on December 3 at a ceremony held at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (HHI) in Ulsan, South Korea.
The vessels have been developed for QatarEnergy by a joint venture comprising NYK, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line), MISC Berhad, and China LNG Shipping (Holdings) Limited. Senior executives, including NYK President & CEO Takaya Soga, attended the ceremony.
The carrier Sharq, named after the area east of Doha, is slated to begin global LNG transport operations this December. The second vessel, Shra’ouh, named after a Qatari island, is scheduled to enter service in January 2026.
These ships are the seventh and eighth in a series of 12 LNG carriers ordered by the joint venture as part of QatarEnergy’s massive fleet expansion program — one of the largest in the global LNG sector. The NYK Group will also oversee ship management for Shra’ouh.
The addition of these vessels further strengthens QatarEnergy’s maritime logistics capacity as worldwide LNG demand continues to rise.