Ranking
Age of the operating LNG carrier fleet
When today's operating LNG carriers were delivered, how that splits into age bands, and the oldest ships still in service.
How this is measured
Age is the 2026 release year minus the year of delivery, so it is age since delivery. Only operating carriers with a delivery year are counted: 764 vessels. The tracker lists no retired ships, so this is the fleet in service rather than every ship ever built, and it cannot say how quickly old ships leave it.
Deliveries by year
Operating carriers by the year they were delivered.
Show these figures as a table
| Year | Vessels |
|---|---|
| 1977 | 1 |
| 1978 | 2 |
| 1979 | 0 |
| 1980 | 0 |
| 1981 | 0 |
| 1982 | 0 |
| 1983 | 0 |
| 1984 | 0 |
| 1985 | 0 |
| 1986 | 0 |
| 1987 | 0 |
| 1988 | 0 |
| 1989 | 1 |
| 1990 | 1 |
| 1991 | 0 |
| 1992 | 0 |
| 1993 | 0 |
| 1994 | 5 |
| 1995 | 3 |
| 1996 | 6 |
| 1997 | 4 |
| 1998 | 4 |
| 1999 | 4 |
| 2000 | 10 |
| 2001 | 1 |
| 2002 | 7 |
| 2003 | 13 |
| 2004 | 18 |
| 2005 | 16 |
| 2006 | 26 |
| 2007 | 30 |
| 2008 | 49 |
| 2009 | 37 |
| 2010 | 19 |
| 2011 | 11 |
| 2012 | 2 |
| 2013 | 15 |
| 2014 | 27 |
| 2015 | 27 |
| 2016 | 28 |
| 2017 | 24 |
| 2018 | 48 |
| 2019 | 39 |
| 2020 | 33 |
| 2021 | 54 |
| 2022 | 27 |
| 2023 | 32 |
| 2024 | 64 |
| 2025 | 75 |
| 2026 | 1 |
By age band
| Age at 2026 | Vessels | Share of fleet | Cargo capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5 years | 199 | 26% | 34,169,300 m³ |
| 5 to 9 years | 198 | 26% | 33,851,205 m³ |
| 10 to 14 years | 99 | 13% | 16,207,100 m³ |
| 15 to 19 years | 146 | 19% | 25,792,998 m³ |
| 20 to 24 years | 80 | 10% | 11,291,505 m³ |
| 25 years and over | 42 | 5% | 5,505,325 m³ |
Capacity is summed over the vessels in each band that report one. Shares are of the 764 aged carriers.
The 50 oldest operating carriers
| # | Vessel | Delivered | Age | Cargo capacity | Containment | Propulsion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LNG Aquarius | 1977 | 49 | 126,300 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 2 | Bering Energy | 1978 | 48 | 126,750 m³ | Not reported | Not reported |
| 3 | Gulf Energy | 1978 | 48 | 126,750 m³ | Not reported | Not reported |
| 4 | LNG Maleo | 1989 | 37 | 127,700 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 5 | Ekaputra 1 | 1990 | 36 | 137,000 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 6 | Al Khaznah | 1994 | 32 | 135,000 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 7 | Hyundai Utopia | 1994 | 32 | 125,200 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 8 | LNGT Americas | 1994 | 32 | 126,800 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 9 | Puteri Intan | 1994 | 32 | 130,000 m³ | Membrane (system not specified) | Steam turbine |
| 10 | Shahamah | 1994 | 32 | 135,000 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 11 | Ghasha | 1995 | 31 | 135,000 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 12 | Puteri Delima | 1995 | 31 | 130,000 m³ | Membrane (system not specified) | Steam turbine |
| 13 | Puteri Nilam | 1995 | 31 | 130,000 m³ | Membrane (system not specified) | Steam turbine |
| 14 | Al Khor | 1996 | 30 | 137,400 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 15 | Al Zubarah | 1996 | 30 | 137,600 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 16 | KLNGTP Black Sea | 1996 | 30 | 65,000 m³ | Membrane (system not specified) | Steam turbine |
| 17 | Mraweh | 1996 | 30 | 135,000 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 18 | Mubaraz | 1996 | 30 | 135,000 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 19 | Puteri Zamrud | 1996 | 30 | 130,000 m³ | Membrane (system not specified) | Steam turbine |
| 20 | Al Hamra | 1997 | 29 | 135,000 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 21 | Al Rayyan | 1997 | 29 | 137,400 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 22 | Al Wajbah | 1997 | 29 | 137,300 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 23 | Umm Al Ashtan | 1997 | 29 | 135,000 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 24 | Al Wakrah | 1998 | 28 | 137,600 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 25 | Broog | 1998 | 28 | 137,500 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 26 | KLNGTP Marmara | 1998 | 28 | 65,000 m³ | Membrane (system not specified) | Steam turbine |
| 27 | Zekreet | 1998 | 28 | 137,500 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 28 | Al Bidda | 1999 | 27 | 137,300 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 29 | Doha | 1999 | 27 | 137,300 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 30 | HL Muscat | 1999 | 27 | 138,000 m³ | Membrane (system not specified) | Steam turbine |
| 31 | Hyundai Technopia | 1999 | 27 | 135,000 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 32 | Al Jasra | 2000 | 26 | 137,200 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 33 | HL Ras Laffan | 2000 | 26 | 138,000 m³ | Membrane (system not specified) | Steam turbine |
| 34 | HL Sur | 2000 | 26 | 138,300 m³ | Membrane (system not specified) | Steam turbine |
| 35 | Hyundai Aquapia | 2000 | 26 | 135,000 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 36 | Hyundai Cosmopia | 2000 | 26 | 135,000 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 37 | Hyundai Oceanpia | 2000 | 26 | 135,000 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 38 | K. Acacia | 2000 | 26 | 138,000 m³ | Membrane (system not specified) | Steam turbine |
| 39 | K. Freesia | 2000 | 26 | 138,000 m³ | Membrane (system not specified) | Steam turbine |
| 40 | LNG Jamal | 2000 | 26 | 137,000 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 41 | Lady Eva | 2000 | 26 | 135,225 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 42 | Sohar LNG | 2001 | 25 | 137,200 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 43 | East Energy | 2002 | 24 | 137,000 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 44 | LNG Sokoto | 2002 | 24 | 137,000 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 45 | Puteri Delima Satu | 2002 | 24 | 135,000 m³ | Not reported | Not reported |
| 46 | Seapeak Hispania | 2002 | 24 | 140,500 m³ | Membrane (system not specified) | Steam turbine |
| 47 | Trader II | 2002 | 24 | 138,000 m³ | Membrane (system not specified) | Steam turbine |
| 48 | Trader III | 2002 | 24 | 137,500 m³ | Membrane (system not specified) | Steam turbine |
| 49 | Xinhang Energy | 2002 | 24 | 137,000 m³ | Moss spherical (Type B) | Steam turbine |
| 50 | BW Boston | 2003 | 23 | 138,000 m³ | Membrane (system not specified) | Steam turbine |
Ties in delivery year are ordered by name. See the carrier directory for every vessel and carrier anatomy for what the containment and propulsion columns mean.
Common questions
Each answer stands on its own.
- How old is the LNG carrier fleet?
- Of 764 operating LNG carriers in the tracker, 122 (16%) were delivered 20 or more years before 2026. Ages are measured from delivery year at the tracker's 2026 release.
- What is the oldest LNG carrier still operating?
- LNG Aquarius, delivered in 1977, so 49 years before the 2026 release. This is the oldest vessel the tracker lists as operating; it says nothing about ships already scrapped.
- Does this include ships that have been retired or scrapped?
- No. The tracker lists only vessels that are operating, under construction or proposed, so retired ships do not appear and no retirement rate can be derived from it. This page describes the fleet in service.
- Why are FSRUs and floating storage units left out?
- They serve as terminals rather than as ships carrying cargo between ports, and their age says something different. They are in the vessel directory with their own type.