Everyone knows that China's shipbuilding is getting stronger and stronger, and this time, China has once again won the recognition of the market.
On April 29, QatarEnergy and China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) held a signing ceremony in Beijing to sign 18 ultra-large liquefied natural gas carriers (LNG carriers) with a single vessel capacity of 271,000 cubic meters.
That's right! It is one of the "three pearls in the crown of the shipbuilding industry", and the unit price is about 310 million US dollars.
In this way, this order is 5.58 billion US dollars, equivalent to more than 40 billion yuan, becoming the world's largest single shipbuilding order so far.
What is an LNG ship? It needs to be ultra-precision processing and made of special materials
LNG船，全称为液化天然气运输船（Liquefied Natural Gas Carrier），是专门设计用来运输液化天然气（LNG）的特种船舶。
Liquefied natural gas (mainly methane) is liquefied at atmospheric pressure by cooling it to about -162 degrees Celsius, thereby greatly reducing its volume and facilitating long-distance maritime transportation.
Because the storage and transportation of LNG requires very strict insulation and safety measures, LNG carriers are therefore a high-tech, high-value-added ship type.
Exterior of LNG carriers
The difficulties in the manufacture of LNG carriers are mainly concentrated in the cargo compartments used to load LNG.
Don't think that it is to install several large gas tanks on the ship, because the large tanks on the ship are often hundreds of thousands of cubic meters, and the temperature is -162 °C. Under the violent thermal expansion and contraction, leakage will occur if the technology is not up to standard. And ocean shipping also has to consider weather interference.
The alloy material of the LNG "Yin Tile" cabin
The cargo hold of the LNG ship is made of a special material, known as Yin Wa (the transliteration of the English word invar, meaning "unchanged"), is a nickel-iron alloy, its composition is 36% nickel, 63.8% iron, 0.2% carbon, its thermal expansion coefficient is very low, can maintain a fixed length in a wide range of temperatures.
What's more, the processing of Yin tile is extremely difficult.
First of all, Yin tile will be deformed during the welding process, and the whole welding process cannot be completed by machine, and some parts must be completed by manual welding.
Secondly, Yin tile is extremely delicate, with a thickness of only 0.7 mm, if you accidentally touch it with your hands, Yin tile will be rusted by the sweat remaining on your hands in less than a day and become a waste product.
Finally, Yin Wa has extremely high requirements for the quality of the weld, and even a leak the size of a pinhole may lead to a natural gas leak and cause a gas explosion on the whole ship.
The combination of these three requirements makes it necessary for the welders of LNG carriers to receive extremely professional training and have very high technical skills.
The loading capacity of the newly built LNG carrier is huge, and one ship is enough for the whole of Tianjin for 10 days
This time, the LNG carriers ordered by QatarEnergy also have a special feature, with a single load capacity of 271,000 cubic meters. This is 45% larger than the average LNG carrier.
Don't underestimate the volume of 271,000 cubic meters, which is equivalent to about 170 million cubic meters when fully gasified.
For example, in 2022, the entire Tianjin city will consume 6.8 billion cubic meters of gas, and this ship alone is enough for the entire Tianjin citizens to use for 10 days.
LNG ships under construction
The manufacture of such a huge LNG ship also further demonstrates the strength of mainland shipbuilding. At present, China has occupied 35% of the market in the field of LNG ship manufacturing in the world, surpassing South Korea to become the world's first. (2nd in Korea, 3rd in Japan)
You must know that in the LNG carrier market, the mainland only has a market share of less than 7% in 2021, and in the past two or three years, we have grown by leaps and bounds.
The shipbuilding industry is so powerful, what impact can it have on ordinary people
First of all, China's shipbuilding industry can be described as a typical example of high-end manufacturing. Behind an LNG ship, it will involve the cooperation of manufacturing equipment, steel and other materials, software, and chemical industries. A large number of shipbuilding orders will increase the employment of the entire related industry to a certain extent.
Second, although the shipbuilding industry is divided into military and civilian aspects, the manufacture of powerful warships must be inseparable from the support of more powerful civilian shipbuilding capabilities, which can be seen from the launching of many aircraft carriers and destroyers on the mainland.
Third, the shipbuilding industry is widely recognized in the world, and more relevant talents (including talents from all over the world) will be concentrated in the mainland, so as to further promote the development of the industry, promote exchanges, and drive the cultivation of talents in this aspect of the mainland. So that the shipbuilding industry and upstream and downstream industries can continue to prosper.
In short, in the vernacular, "a dish" has become a hit, and the production and cultivation of various "ingredients" related to it will flourish. Moreover, foreigners coming to China to order food will also lead to the development of some service industries.
That's really a great thing, isn't it? What do you think about it, feel free to leave a message in the comment section.
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