Middle East producer QatarEnergy has reached an agreement with South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean for its next batch of LNG carrier berths under Phase 2 of its colossal newbuilding project and is in fresh talks in China for additional supersize ships.

Those working closely on the project said QatarEnergy has privately declared its 12 pre-reserved slots for 174,000-cbm LNG carriers at Hanwha Ocean.