3 Global Suppliers 1 Breakthrough China’s 725 Epoxy Resin Disrupts LNG Shipbuilding Market

China has officially broken into the elite ranks of global LNG shipbuilding material suppliers. On April 18, the China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s 725 Institute achieved a major milestone with its 725-H96 epoxy resin receiving both GTT certification and CCS approval. The material is now certified for use in membrane-type LNG carriers, marking China as only the third country in the world to produce such a product.

The resin is critical to LNG ship safety, ensuring structural integrity at -163°C, and had long been entirely imported due to stringent technical requirements. The 725 Institute not only developed this high-performance resin independently but also signed a supply agreement with Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding and a technical cooperation deal with GTT to apply the resin on actual vessels—ending foreign monopoly in this field.

As LNG ships are known as “three-high” vessels—high-tech, high-value, and high-difficulty—this development provides strong support for China’s localization of LNG ship components, boosting its global competitiveness in advanced ship manufacturing. Representatives from Kawasaki Shipping, ABS, Jiangnan Shipyard, and other major players witnessed the announcement and toured the epoxy production bases and LNG component manufacturing facilities.

The 725 Institute’s success is not just a one-off. Since 2006, it has pursued a strategy of “produce one, develop one, research one”, shifting from imitation to innovation. It has led efforts in advanced epoxy, anti-fouling coatings, and cryogenic adhesives, contributing to China’s ambitions of becoming a maritime power.