A ceremony to mark the beginning of construction on a LNG ship is held in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province on Nov 22. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

A ceremony to mark the beginning of construction on a LNG ship was held in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province, on Nov 22.

The vessel will be built by Taizhou Fangxing Shipbuilding Co Ltd and costs 292 million yuan ($41.7 million). It measures 173 meters in length, 37.6 meters in width, and 11 meters in depth, and has a designed speed of 17 knots.

The ship's construction is a milestone for shipbuilding in Taizhou, as it is the first LNG ship order received by the city, which means the city has is now capable of building LNG ships, according to Yang Junbin, secretary-general of the Taizhou Shipbuilding Industry Association.

LNG ships are considered one of the most difficult transport vessels to build due to their extremely high requirements for safety, noted industry insiders.

"When it's loaded, it's like a floating bomb," said a senior employee in the shipbuilding industry in Taizhou.

A LNG ship, which usually carries tens of thousands of metric tons of liquid natural gas at approximately -162 C, needs to trek for thousands of kilometers at sea, placing high demands on its builder, he explained.