Newly delivered ships include a 7,999DWT vessel for a Swedish operator, a dual-fuel LPG carrier for a Japanese company, and two ice-capable chemical tankers for a German owner. A new carrier that will transport US-produced LNG has been floated out. Finally, a UAE firm taps two South Korean yards for an ambitious fleet expansion program.
Dutch shipbuilder Ferus Smit has delivered the second vessel in a series ordered by Swedish tanker operator Thun Tankers. Thun Reliance is the second in a planned series boasting an innovative design with adaptive propulsion to minimise energy usage, adaptability for installation of a shore electricity connection, a battery pack, and resource-efficient machinery.
Japanese companies Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) and Astomos Energy Corporation have formally named a new LPG carrier fitted with a dual-fuel propulsion system. Following Gas Garnet, which was delivered in March this year, Gas Amethyst is the second jointly owned LPG dual-fuel vessel to be delivered this year and the fourth LPG dual-fuel vessel for Astomos Energy.
The vessel has an LOA of 229.9 metres, a beam of 37.2 metres, a depth of 21.9 metres, a summer draught of 11.65 metres, and a total cargo capacity of 86,953 cubic metres. The propulsion system will be able to run on both heavy fuel oil (HFO) and LPG. NYK said that, when operating in LPG mode, the vessel will generate 95 per cent and 20 per cent fewer emissions of SOx and CO2, respectively, compared to similar-sized vessels powered by HFO.
Samsung Heavy Industries of South Korea has launched a new LNG carrier ordered by US shipping company Venture Global LNG. Venture Gator is the first of nine LNG carriers in the Venture Global fleet to be completed in quick succession across three shipyards in South Korea over the coming 24 months.
Venture Gator and its sisters will transport LNG from the US to multiple global destinations. The ship itself will run primarily on LNG supplied by Venture Global. The vessel has a total cargo capacity of 174,000 cubic metres and systems for onboard reliquefaction of boil-off gas.
German shipping company John T. Essberger recently held a dual naming ceremony for its two newest chemical tankers. Sister ships Eberhart Essberger and Heinrich Essberger were built by China Merchants Jinling Shipyard as the third and fourth in a series.
The vessels are powered by dual-fuel engines that can also run on LNG. The hulls were built to Finnish/Swedish Ice Class 1A notation and are optimised to ensure a 30 per cent improvement in energy efficiency.
UAE-based maritime logistics company ADNOC Logistics and Services (ADNOC L&S) has awarded shipbuilding contracts to South Korean shipyards Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and Hanwha Ocean. The contracts, which have a total value of approximately US$2.5 billion, are for the construction of new LNG carriers as part of the company’s transformational growth strategy and fleet expansion plans.