QATAR Gas Transport Company (Nakilat), one of the world’s largest shippers of liquefied natural gas (LNG), has said two of its joint ventures will build and operate seven LNG-related vessels.

It did not give a value for these shipping contracts. Nakilat’s joint venture with privately-owned Dutch Damen Shipyard’s group, known as Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar (NDSQ), will build the ships, a company statement on Qatar’s stock exchange said.

The ships will enter service between autumn 2014 and spring 2015, it said. Its Nakilat-SvitzerWijsmuller (NSW) joint venture will operate the ships under a 14-year contract with state-owned oil group Qatar Petroleum, it said.

NSW is Nakilat’s joint venture with the Middle East branch of towage operator Svitzer, which is owned by Danish shipping and oil group AP Moller-Maersk.

Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar (NDSQ) was established in 2010 and is part of the Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard facility.

In other Gulf news, Strategic Marine, a specialist shipbuilder in Asia, launched the Shanna, first of two 45 m ro-pax catamarans for the National Ferries Company of Oman.

The vessel is the first of its kind to be built by Strategic at its Vietnam shipyard and its sister vessel, the Jawharat, will be delivered shortly.

They can carry 294 passengers and 38 cars or four trucks. They utilise four CAT C18 Acert main engines, 357 kW at 1,800 rpm with continuous ‘A’ rating, and can achieve speeds of 18 knots.