QatarEnergy CEO Saad Al Kaabi announced on Sunday that the company has finalised a number of charter contracts with several Asian ship owners to bolster its shipping fleet by 19 LNG vessels ahead of a massive expansion in LNG output.

In a ceremony at its Doha headquarters state-owned QatarEnergy signed contracts to charter six vessels from CMES LNG Carrier Investment, six vessels from Shandong Marine Energy, three vessels from MISC Berhad and four vessels from Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha and Hyundai Glovis.

QatarEnergy had previously contracted for 77 ships to be built at Korean and Chinese shipyards in the first phases of its LNG ship acquisition programme.

QatarEnergy's North Field expansion will boost its position as the world's top LNG exporter. It includes eight LNG trains that will ramp up Qatar's liquefaction capacity from 77 million tons per annum (mtpa) to 142 mtpa by 2030, an 85% increase in production.

(Reporting by Andrew Mills; Editing by Alison Williams)