Nakilat is a liquefied natural gas

Liquefied natural gas

Liquefied natural gas or LNG is natural gas that has been converted temporarily to liquid form for ease of storage or transport....

 (LNG) shipping company based in Doha

Doha

Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...

, Qatar

Qatar

Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...

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History

The company was established in 2004 by Qatar's energy and shipping companies and financial institutions. As a result of IPO

Initial public offering

An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...

 in 2005, 50% of its shares was publicly sold and the company is traded at the Qatar Exchange.

Operations

Nakilat operates and leases a fleet of LNG and gas derivative vessels, most notably the Q-Max

Q-Max

Q-Max is a type of ship, specifically a membrane type liquefied natural gas carrier. In the name Q-Max, "Q" stands for Qatar and "Max" for the maximum size of ship able to dock at the LNG terminals in Qatar...

 and Q-Flex

Q-Flex

Q-Flex is a type of ship, specifically a membrane type liquefied natural gas carrier.-Technical description:Q-Flex vessels are propelled by two slow speed diesel engines, which are claimed to be more efficient and environmentally friendly than traditional steam turbines...

 type LNG carrier

LNG carrier

An LNG carrier is a tank ship designed for transporting liquefied natural gas . As the LNG market grows rapidly, the fleet of LNG carriers continues to experience tremendous growth.-History:...

s. It has 25 wholly owned and 29 jointly owned LNG carriers and four jointly owned liquefied petroleum gas ships, which makes it one of the largest LNG transportation companies in the world.

For ship repairing, in 2007 Nakilat created the Nakilat-Keppel Offshore & Marine joint venture with Keppel Corporation

Keppel Corporation

The Keppel Group of Companies includes Keppel Offshore & Marine, Keppel Integrated Engineering, Keppel Energy, Keppel Telecommunications & Transportation and Keppel Land, among others....

. In 2010, it formed Nakilat Damen Shipyards Qatar, Limited, with the Damen Group

Damen Group

Damen is a Dutch shipbuilding company which was founded in 1927 by Jan and Marinus Damen in a self-built workshop. In 1954 their 200th ship was delivered.-History:...

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Shareholders

The major shareholders of the company are Qatar Navigation (30%), Qatar Pension Fund (7%), Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development

Qatar Foundation

Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development is a government-funded, chartered, non-profit organization in the state of Qatar, founded in 1995 by decree of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of Qatar and chaired by Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned...

 (5%), Qatar Petroleum

Qatar Petroleum

Qatar Petroleum is a state owned petroleum company in Qatar. The company operates all oil and gas activities in Qatar, including exploration, production, refining, transport, and storage. QP's Chairman Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, is also the head of the Ministry of Energy and Industry and, as...

(5%), Qatar Education and Health Fund (2%), and Qatar Fuel Company (1%).