China Ocean Shipbuilding Industry Group has forged an alliance with Jianglian Heavy Industries under a broader bid to cash in on rising demand for LNG carriers.

In a statement the Hong Kong-quoted holding company said the partnership involves its subsidiary, Jiangxi Jiangzhou United Shipbuilding Company.

Under the terms of the strategic cooperation framework agreement Jianglian will be offered the opportunity to utilise the shipyard’s facilities for the construction LNG containment tanks and what China Ocean described as “large size non-standard containers”.

In addition the duo is going to “jointly develop” LNG carriers, LNG fuelling stations, carriers adapted for the ship-to-ship transfer of LNG and modify vessels for the use of dual-fuel power systems, according to today’s filing with the Hong Kong bourse.

Industry observers contacted by TradeWinds are quick to point out that the alliance is significant because it reflects growing interest in construction of gas carriers, a corner of the market that is dominated by shipbuilders based in South Korea.

They note a rising number of Chinese shipyards that currently focus on the containership, bulker and tanker segments are keen on expanding into the LNG and LPG spaces, which are considered to be far more technologically sophisticated.