Mozah is largest ship to transit Suez Canal

Tuesday, 05 May 2009 08:31

Qatargas’ first Q-Max LNG carrier ‘Mozah’ has become the largest ship ever to sail through the Suez Canal. Qatargas’ celebrated the ‘transiting event’ at a ceremony held in Ismaila,

Egypt recently.

‘Mozah’ transited Suez Canal during the maiden voyage to the UK. The mega tanker was carrying 135,400cu m of LNG bound for South Hook LNG Terminal in Milford Haven, Wales. The Suez Canal is Qatargas’ gateway to markets in Europe and the US.

Qatargas said the Suez Canal transiting is testament to the dedication and hard work’ of all its associates. “We appreciate the excellent co-operation being extended to us by the Suez Canal Authority and look forward to continuing our strong relations for the long term future,” Qatargas said.

‘Mozah’ is the first of the new generation Q-Max LNG carriers and was delivered in September 2008. Wholly owned by Nakilat, the vessel will be on long term charter to Qatargas and is to be used to ferry LNG produced by Qatargas 2 to customers in Europe.

With a capacity of 266,000 cu m, Q-Max LNG carriers are the largest in the world with 80% more capacity than conventional LNG carriers and about 40% lower energy requirements due to the economies of scale created by their size and the efficiency of the engines.

The ceremony held at the Suez Canal Authority was attended by Ahmed al-Khulaifi, Qatargas chief operating officer (commercial and shipping) and Abdullah al-Sulaiti, shipping manager. The Suez Canal Authority was represented by its chairman Ahmed Fadel and other senior officials.

Al-Khulaifi presented a memento to Fadel to commemorate the event. Al-Khulaifi said, “This is indeed a momentous occasion and we are extremely proud of this achievement today. It truly represents another milestone in our vision.”

Source: Gulf-Times