First Q-Maz keel laying ceremony held in Korea

The Q-Max vessels represent a quantum leap in the size of liquefied natural gas carriers and will be the first ships in their class. With a capacity of up to 266,000 cubic metres, an overall length of 345 metres, powered by slow speed diesel engines and on-board re-liquefaction plants they are a step apart from the traditional LNG carriers in service today.

"Today is an exciting step in the Qatargas ship construction program, a milestone for the program. We would like to thank all the people involved, especially the Samsung Heavy Industries and our site team who are working so hard to deliver these first-of-a-kind ships safely and on time;" said Mr Jim Adams, Chief Operating Officer - Qatargas 2

Keel laying is one of the key stages during the construction of a vessel, it is preceded by steel cutting and followed by launching. The keel is effectively the backbone of the vessel and this event will see the start of the block assembly leading to a completed hull ready for floating out of the dock.

The first Q-Max vessel is due to be delivered in Summer 2008 after 17 months of construction at Samsung. It is one of 10 Q-Max ships to be constructed at Samsung to service the major liquefied natural gas expansion projects of Qatargas.