Exxon, Mitsui OSK Award LNG Contract to China State Shipbuilder

Exxon Mobil Corp. and Japan s Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd. chose a unit of China State Shipbuilding Co. to build four liquefied natural gas carriers in China, the U.S. s largest oil company said on Jan. 15. The pair selected China s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co. to build the ships, which will transport LNG from Papua New Guinea and Exxon s Western Australia Gorgon Jansz project, the Texas-based petroleum company said in an e-mailed statement today.

Hudong-Zhonghua should deliver the four carriers between 2015 and 2016, Exxon said. LNG is natural gas chilled to 1/600th of its gaseous size.