Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) has announced the launch of its Gas Center of Excellence in Doha, Qatar, further solidifying its commitment to supporting the growth of LNG and gas projects worldwide. The center brings together BV's expertise in gas carrier operations, classification, and regulatory compliance to deliver integrated support across the gas value chain. Staffed by a team of gas specialists with experience in gas carrier operations, both for new building phases and for vessels in service, the Center combines regional know-how with Bureau Veritas' global technical network.
Based in Doha, the center is designed to provide responsive, high-level support to stakeholders in Qatar, across the Middle East, and internationally, reflecting the scale of gas investment and fleet expansion in the region and beyond. The Gas Center of Excellence builds on BV's long-standing marine and offshore presence in the Middle East, with operations across 13 offices and with around 120 specialists. So far in the region, BV has classed more than 1,250 ships and provides continued marine classification, surveys, audits, and inspections across the full vessel lifecycle, supporting clients throughout the maritime and energy ecosystem.
Today, 50% of the world's leading energy companies work with BV. Its fleet of gas carriers in service totals 344 vessels, including 153 LNG carriers. In the LNG shipping segment, BV holds a leading position, with 21% of LNG carriers currently on order and 19% of LNG vessels in operation sailing under its class, as of the end of 2025.
BV is also a market leader in membrane cargo containment systems and dual-fuel propulsion certification and holds around 30% market share in LNG bunkering vessel classification across newbuilds and vessels in service, and classes more than one-third of the world's floating LNG units, including FLNGs, FSRUs, and LNG-FSUs. In recent years, BV has supported major LNG projects for leading energy players, including QatarEnergy, TotalEnergies, Petronas, and Cheniere, providing classification and technical services for next-generation LNG carriers delivered between 2022 and 2025. This experience is reflected in its involvement in QatarEnergy's LNG carrier newbuilding programs with 174,000 m3 and 271,000 m3 capacity LNG carriers, the largest shipbuilding project in modern history, as well as a Condition Assessment Program (CAP) with Nakilat covering more than 22 LNG carriers currently in service.
Beyond marine and offshore, the Center is also backed by Bureau Veritas Group's broader global testing, inspection and certification capabilities across the entire gas value chain — from upstream production and midstream transport to terminals, storage, distribution networks and LNG facilities. This is further strengthened by BV's Future Shipping Team, a global cross-disciplinary network of experts driving collaboration, research and innovation to support sustainable, technology-driven progress across the maritime and energy sectors.