Photo: Screenshot from a report by China Media Group

China delivered two domestically built 174,000-cubic-meter liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers to clients on Tuesday, marking a fresh milestone as the country has developed full independent capabilities in designing and building top-tier LNG vessels for global markets, according to a China Media Group (CMG) report.

A Chinese expert told the Global Times that the deliveries marked an important step forward in China's high-end offshore engineering equipment manufacturing.

Each vessel measures 299 meters in length, with a deck area equivalent to three standard football fields, and can carry up to 174,000 cubic meters of LNG. It is also estimated the vessels will cut daily carbon emissions by around 10 tons during operation, CMG reported.

The two vessels were built by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co, a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation.

Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding has already started construction of the world's first batch of QC-Max ultra-large LNG carriers, the largest of their kind with a capacity of 271,000 cubic meters, according to media reports on Friday.

In the first quarter of 2026, China accounted for 80.2 percent of new global orders for green vessels, covering LNG, LPG, methanol and ethane dual-fuel vessels, as well as electric ships, CMG reported.

China's share of the global LNG carrier market has surpassed 30 percent. Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding currently has nearly 60 LNG carriers on order, ranking first globally by total cargo capacity, with its production schedule extending beyond 2030, CMG reported.

Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times that large-tonnage, high-capacity facility will strengthen China's role in the global LNG market and support the deeper development and utilization of marine energy.

He noted that South Korea has long led the LNG carrier sector, but China is now catching up rapidly and gradually moving toward a stronger position in LNG shipbuilding. China's world-class natural gas extraction technologies, advanced equipment and cost competitiveness are also helping promote global low-carbon development and making the Chinese solutions more attractive to countries that are seeking affordable and efficient energy infrastructure.