Gaztransport & Technigaz SA has signed a Technical Assistance and License Agreement with China Merchants Heavy Industries-Jiangsu (CMHI-Jiangsu), a subsidiary of China Merchants Industry Holdings (CMI), one of the three leading shipbuilding groups in China, enabling the yard to construct vessels using GTT membrane technologies. GTT and China Merchant Industry Holdings have been cooperating for a decade, with a first Technical Service Agreement signed in 2013 for the maintenance and repair of LNGCs. A cooperation agreement has also been initiated in 2016 for the evaluation of CMHI to implement GTT technologies.

This Technical Assistance and License Agreement marks a new stage in the partnership between the two companies as the shipyard is now licensed for the construction of large capacity LNG carriers. CMHI-Jiangsu began the licensing process earlier this year and successfully obtained it at the mock-up completion ceremony held on October 10.