French LNG containment firm GTT has signed a strategic cooperation deal with Chinese shipbuilding conglomerate China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC).
The agreement provides for cooperation between GTT and twelve subsidiaries of the CSSC conglomerate, notably in ship design and construction, cryogenic containment technologies for LNG shipping, LNG as fuel, and smart shipping solutions, according to a statement by GTT.
As part of this agreement, GTT and CSSC aim, on the one hand, to develop and market competitive LNG tank solutions with GTT technologies, for all types of vessels, including LNG-fueled containerships, bulk carriers, oil tankers, and PCTCs, the firm said.
On the other hand, cooperation between the two groups is aimed at the optimization of the engineering of LNG carriers, particularly on capacities ranging from 175,000 cbm to 270,000 cbm, but also of the latest generation VLEC and offshore platforms (FLNG and FSRU), GTT said.
Hudong-Zhonghua, Jiangnan, DSIC, and SWS are already among the subsidiaries of the CSSC group authorized to construct GTT technologies under technical assistance and license agreements.
GTT’s chief Philippe Berterottière said that this cooperation agreement with CSSC “marks an important step in our development strategy in China.”
“Together, we will explore opportunities for innovation and strengthen our position in a constantly evolving maritime sector,” he said.
During the first nine months of this year, GTT booked orders for 52 large LNG carriers, one FLNG, and 15 LNG-powered containerships.
This includes orders from Chinese and South Korean yards.
Berterottière recently told LNG Prime the company is expecting that there will be more than 450 orders for large LNG carriers over the next ten years.
