Lloyd's Register, Shell and GTT study a 200,000 m³ hybrid electric LNG carrier
the future.
Batteries are moving onto the largest gas ships. Shell, the containment specialist GTT and the classification society Lloyd's Register have launched a joint development project for a 200,000 m³ LNG carrier concept that combines hybrid electric propulsion with GTT's NEXT1 membrane containment system.
GTT presented the project at Gastech 2026 in Bangkok in September, and Lloyd's Register set out its scope on 13 October. It is an exploratory design study. No ship, shipyard or delivery date is attached to it.
What the partners will work on
- Propulsion: development and safety verification of the hybrid electric system, covering system architecture, redundancy and how the batteries are integrated
- Rules: technical requirements and guidance for hybrid electric propulsion on LNG carriers
- Containment: how NEXT1 fits into the overall vessel concept
- Cost: a commercial evaluation using a total cost of ownership model
The partners have not published battery capacity, battery chemistry, engine configuration or power ratings. Lloyd's Register describes the aim as more cargo per voyage, greater efficiency and more operational flexibility, at a time when the industry is under pressure to move more energy with lower emissions.
Bigger ships, same terminals
The concept sits above today's mainstream newbuild size of around 174,000 m³. A study by GTT and Lloyd's Register Advisory, also presented at Gastech 2026, found that 200,000 m³ carriers are compatible with most existing LNG terminals, which matters because a larger ship is only useful if it can berth where the cargo is loaded and delivered.
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