Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has marked the naming of the AL FANAR LNG carrier at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in China. Held on 15 October 2026, the ceremony was for the sixth ship in a seven-vessel order placed in 2022 for QatarEnergy.
MOL said its participation in QatarEnergy’s LNG fleet expansion programme will comprise 13 carriers. Alongside the original seven vessels, the company has secured long-term time charters with QatarEnergy for six more ships.
With room for 174,000 cubic metres of LNG, AL FANAR belongs to Hudong-Zhonghua’s fifth-generation Changheng series. iMarine reported a length of 299 metres and a beam of 46.4 metres, with classification by the American Bureau of Shipping and China Classification Society.
According to iMarine, AL FANAR uses a dual-skeg hull configuration and incorporates low-carbon and digital technologies. The vessel was designed around QatarEnergy’s operating standards.
COSCO Shipping said the contracts won jointly with MOL consist of seven 174,000-cubic-metre vessels in the first phase, followed by six QC-MAX carriers of 271,000 cubic metres in the second. Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding is responsible for constructing both groups.
COSCO Shipping also reported that the first five ships from phase one had transported almost 4 million tonnes of LNG by the close of September 2026.
MOL explained that AL FANAR means “lantern”. The naming ceremony ended with the ceremonial rope being cut in front of invited guests.
