Total Marine Fuels Global Solutions (TMFGS) and Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) have signed a long-term charter contract for a second LNG bunker vessel to be delivered in 2021.
The 135-m long, 18,600-m³ capacity vessel will be built by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in China and fitted with a Mark III membrane containment system provided by French company GTT.
From its home port in the Marseille-Fos area in southern France, the vessel will supply LNG bunkering in the Mediterranean area to a range of vessels, including container ships, tankers, ferries and large cruise ships. The new building will be jointly operated under the French flag by MOL and LNG transportation company Gazocean, which is based in Marseille.
MOL managing executive officer Kenta Matsuzaka said “This is the second LNG bunker vessel for Total, and we are extremely honoured the company has selected us as a partner. We believe this project will further solidify our relationship. In recent years, the role of LNG has changed enormously … and we expect to see wider use for it as a vessel fuel, so we anticipate significant growth in the future.”
TMFGS managing director Jérôme Leprince-Ringuet said “With this agreement we reaffirm today our positive contribution to a sustainable shipping industry and our commitment to offer our customers a comprehensive network of supply for [LNG].”
Total’s two 18,600-m3 LNG bunkering vessels are second only in size to a pair of 20,000-m3 LNG bunker vessels ordered by Avenir LNG and under construction at Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering Co. in China.
Source: Riviera Maritime Media
