On March 14, Xiangtan Steel’s 7Ni steel was loaded and shipped. This batch of steel will be used to build 78,900 cubic meters of shipboard LNG (liquefied natural gas) storage tanks. It is the first time that 7Ni steel has been used in large-scale shipboard LNG storage tanks, marking that Xiangtan Iron and Steel Group has overcome another crucial core technology of cutthroat competition.

The construction raw material of LNG storage tanks is mainly 9Ni steel. However, there is a large demand for alloys to make 9Ni-steel, so the production cost is very high. Based on the successful development of nickel-based low-temperature steel, Xiangtan Iron and Steel has increased its research and development efforts and adopted many new processes and technologies, such as vacuum treatment of molten steel and inclusion denaturation treatment, to develop 7Ni steel successfully. Xiangtan Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. has become one of the few companies that can mass-produce this type of steel in the world.

In recent years, global natural gas consumption has continued to increase. The demand for offshore marine LNG storage tanks, land-based LNG storage tanks, and new energy vehicle fuel tanks has also increased significantly. Therefore, NI series steel has broad application prospects. At present, Xiangtan Steel's 7Ni steel has passed the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Bureau Veritas (BV), China Classification Society (CCS), Det Norske Veritas (DNV), and Lloyd's Register (LR) 5 Certified by China Classification Society and audited by China Special Inspection Institute. The overall technical performance of the product has reached the international leading level and has got the customers' trust at home and abroad.