Q-Flex is a type of ship, specifically a membrane type
liquefied natural gas carrier.
Technical description
Q-Flex vessels are propelled by two slow speed diesel engines, which are claimed to be more efficient and environmentally friendly than traditional steam turbines.
[
] Q-Flex carriers 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 reduces LNG losses, which produces economic and environmental benefits. Overall, it is estimated that Q-Flex carriers have about 40% lower energy requirements and
carbon emission
Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and larg ...
s than conventional LNG carriers.
[
]
The capacity of a Q-Flex vessel is between 165,000 m
3 and 216,000 m
3.
[
] Until the entry into service of the
Q-Max
Q-Max is a type of ship, specifically a membrane type LNG carrier. In the name Q-Max, "Q" stands for Qatar and "Max" for the maximum size of ship able to dock at the Liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals in Qatar. Ships of this type are the large ...
-type carrier, it was the world's largest LNG carrier type with a capacity of 1.5 times that of conventional LNG carriers.
[
][
]
Contractors
The first Q-Flex LNG carrier was delivered by
Hyundai Heavy Industries
Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (HHI; ) is the world's largest shipbuilding company and a major heavy equipment manufacturer. Its headquarters are in Ulsan, South Korea.
History
HHI was founded in 1972 by Chung Ju-yung as a division of the ...
in late 2007. The installed re-liquefaction system is developed and delivered by
Hamworthy
Hamworthy is a village, parish, peninsula and suburb of Poole in Dorset, England. It is sited on a peninsula of approximately that is bordered by the town of Upton to the north, Poole Harbour to the south, Lytchett Bay to the west and Hol ...
and approved and certified by
DNV
DNV (formerly DNV GL) is an international accredited registrar and classification society headquartered in Høvik, Norway. The company currently has about 12,000 employees and 350 offices operating in more than 100 countries, and provides ser ...
.
[ Q-Flex LNG carriers are built also by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Company and ]Samsung Heavy Industries
Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (Korean: 삼성중공업) is one of the largest shipbuilders in the world and one of the "Big Three" shipbuilders of South Korea (including Hyundai and Daewoo). Geoje (in Gyeongsangnam-do) is one of the largest ...
.[
]
Ships
As of 2022 there are 31 named Q-Flex LNG carriers in service.
[
][
][
] All these vessels are owned by holding companies established by the Qatar Gas Transport Company (Nakilat) and different shipping companies such as Pronav, MOL, K-Line, Teekay and NYK and they are chartered to Qatar's LNG producers Qatargas
Qatargas is the world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) company. It produces and supplies the globe with 77 million metric tonnes of LNG annually from across its seven ventures—Qatargas 1, Qatargas 2, Qatargas 3, Qatargas 4, RL1, RL2 a ...
.
References
[{{cite web, title=QATARGAS, url=https://www.qatargas.com/English/AboutUs/Shipping/Pages/default.aspx, publisher=QATARGAS, access-date=23 September 2014, ref=11]
Natural gas
Ship types