Qatar Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) has chartered a Q-Flex LNG carrier from Nakilat on a long-term contract.

The Al Karaana will be used to bring LNG produced by the Qatari state firm, known as QG4, to market, with a primary focus on supply to North America.

Nakilat touts the Q-Flex vessels as the next generation of LNG mega-carriers.

"The Q-Max has 80 per cent more capacity than conventional LNG carriers, with about 40 per cent lower energy requirements due to the economies of scale created by their size," the company said in a statement.

On September 30th, the company also celebrated the completion of the Q-Max vessel at its South Korean shipyard. The Al Dafna is the 50th carrier to be completed by the company and is also one of the largest LNG vessels ever built.

Hamad Rashid Al-Mohannadi, managing director of RasGas, which commissioned the vessel, praised Nakilat for its commitment to providing the training and development necessary to ensure the vessel will be maintained in line with the most rigorous marine standards.

Getenergy event for GCC countries November 2009