(Yicai Global) Dec. 11 – China’s Jiangnan Shipyard delivered its second Very Large Gas Carrier to China Oriental Energy yesterday. Jiangnan has delivered eight VLGC vessels of this series this year, the largest number delivered among global shipping companies in 2020, according to a report from Shanghai’s Pudong New Area.

VLGC s are a type of gas tanker that transport a much higher volume of gas than ordinary ones, including liquified petroleum gas and liquified natural gas. In recent years, large and very large gas carriers have gradually become the norm for maritime gas transport in step with changes in the global energy structure and rising demand for chemical raw materials.

A total of 21 VLGC vessels have been delivered and 14 VLGC vessels transacted globally this year, statistics show. The eight Jiangnan has delivered make up 38.1 percent and 57.1 percent of the global total in these two categories, respectively. The Shanghai-based company has now assumed a front runner position amid fierce competition with its Japanese and South Korean rivals.

The eight vessels delivered this year are all second-generation VLGCs that Jiangnan independently designed, and an upgraded version of its Panda 84P. They are 230 meters long, have a beam of 36.6 meters, a hull height of 22.2 meters and an 84,000 cubic meter cabin capacity.

The sudden outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has caused a great negative impact upon normal operation and production of Jiangnan since the year’s start. Production and delivery have been quite tough this year because working hours have fallen precipitously even as volume has grown 25.8 percent from last year, said Zhang Jianru, Jiangnan’s deputy general manager.

Japan invented the VLGC ship type in the 1970s. Japanese and South Korean companies formerly monopolized the VLGC market. Jiangnan, which entered this arena after 2012, initially developed 84,000-cubic-meter and 91,000-cubic-meter VLGCs.

Liquified petroleum gas and liquified natural gas are compressed into super-chilled, liquified form for transport and export in such specialty-built supertankers.

Editor: Ben Armour, Xiao Yi