MET Group to Build Its First LNG Vessel in Partnership with Celsius
As part of its LNG growth strategy, Swiss-based MET Group has reached a partnership agreement with Celsius to build its first LNG vessel, scheduled for delivery in 2027.The LNG carrier will be constructed by China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) and will support the growing LNG activities of MET Group.MET’s JV equity partner Celsius is a leading ship owner and operator focusing on sustainable, infrastructure-like investments and special opportunities within the maritime industry.The…
Loadings Picking up at Russia's Arctic LNG 2
The fifth cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia's Arctic LNG 2 has been picked up by a vessel managed by a company under U.S. sanctions, according to ship tracking data.The Arctic LNG 2 project by Russia's Novatek is also subject to Western sanctions over Russia's war with Ukraine. Novatek has said media allegations the company was involved in establishing and managing a "shadow fleet" for the Arctic LNG 2 project were untrue.On Sept. 14, the Asya Energy vessel berthed at the plant, and departed fully loaded on Sept. 15, according to data from Kpler and LSEG.
QatarEnergy Inaugurates LNG Vessel Rex Tillerson
QatarEnergy has inaugurated the Rex Tillerson vessel, marking the delivery of the first LNG vessel under its historic shipbuilding program.Rex Tillerson vessel was named after the former Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil as a tribute to his life-long accomplishments in the energy sector.The traditional naming ceremony was held at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in the Chinese city of Shanghai.“As the first ship in our new LNG fleet, the Rex Tillerson will undoubtedly play a significant…
Plaquemines LNG Export Plant Gets Key Regulatory Approval
Federal regulators on Friday gave Venture Global LNG permission to begin preparations for the start-up of liquefied natural gas equipment at its Plaquemines export plant in Louisiana, taking a step closer to first LNG production for the facility, about 20 miles south of New Orleans.A tanker containing LNG has been docked at Plaquemines with a cargo of chilled gas since late August, according to Venture Global LNG and data from financial firm LSEG. The cargo is expected to be used…
Crown LNG Picks IKM for Engineering Design of Scottish Floating LNG Terminal
Crown LNG Holdings, a provider of LNG liquefaction and regasification terminal technologies for harsh weather locations, has selected IKM Engineering & Environmental Consultants (IKM) as its partner for the design and engineering of a floating LNG import terminal in the Firth of Forth, Scotland.The partner appointment represents a critical milestone as Crown LNG advances toward Final Investment Decision (FID) for the Grangemouth project, the company said.The Grangemouth project…
Eni Hires ABL for Congo Floating LNG Transportation and Installation Verification
Energy and marine consultancy ABL has been appointed by Eni to provide marine warranty survey services (MWS) for the offshore transportation and installation (T&I) campaign for Phase 2 of the Marine XII Congo LNG development project.Phase 2 of the project envisages the fabrication, transportation and installation of a new floating LNG vessel (FLNG), a converted floating separation, storage and booster unit (FSU), wellhead platforms and associated tie-in pipelines and ancillaries…
Venture Global Launches First LNG Vessel from Planned Nine-Strong Fleet
U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter Venture Global has launched its first LNG vessel, the Venture Gator, at the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in Geoji-si, South Korea.The 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, which will transport LNG from the U.S. to multiple global partners and destinations.The ship is said to deploy best-in-class environmental and efficiency technology and will be primarily fueled by Venture Global’s LNG.
Samskip LNG Vessel to be Retrofitted with Fuel Cells
TECO 2030, BLOM Maritime and Samskip have received a grant for a pre-project aiming to retrofit Samskip’s vessel Kvitnos with TECO 2030 fuel cells and hydrogen fuel.The project aims to significantly reduce emissions from this LNG-fueled vessel, which currently operates on a weekly multipurpose service from Rotterdam along most of the Norwegian coastline to Hammerfest.The goal of the project is to prepare for an investment decision to retrofit Kvitnos. The project also aims to…
ABS Opens LNG Academy in Qatar
American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has inaugurated the ABS Global LNG Academy, a cutting-edge training center dedicated to using the latest techniques to educate mariners in modern liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessel operations.Located in Doha and supported by QatarEnergy, the Academy is a coordinated effort with industry partners, who are working together to make the ABS LNG Academy the global epicenter for LNG-related training and development. Establishing the training center is also a key part of ABS’ support of Qatar’s National Vision 2030 and the Tawteen Program…
Stena RoRo Orders RoPax from China's CMI Jinling
Stena RoRo has placed an order for another RoPax-class E-Flexer vessel from the Chinese shipyard CMI Jinling (Weihai). The vessel will be delivered in the first quarter of 2026 to Corsica Linea and will operate between Marseille and Corsica. This is Stena RoRo’s 13th vessel in the E-Flexer series and the first to be delivered to the Mediterranean region.“The arrival of this new LNG vessel in the fleet is a strong signal that is in line with the ambitious course set for Corsica Linea the coming years: to become the most modern shipping company in the Mediterranean by 2030.
Seaspan LNG Bunkering Vessel Launched
Seaspan Energy announced the launch of Seaspan Garibaldi, the first of three 7,600m3 liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessels being built by CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering (CIMC SOE) in China.The newbuild is named after Mount Garibaldi, or “Nch’ḵay̓” as the Squamish Nation has known it for thousands of years. This series of vessels will be named after iconic West Coast mountains and the first two vessels will be delivered in 2024 with the third vessel arriving in 2025.The Seaspan Garibaldi will be based in the Panama region…
Woodside Preserves Place for Australian Seafarers
Woodside Energy has reached agreement with three Australian maritime unions on the Australian crewing of an LNG vessel.The agreement with the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union – Maritime Union of Australia Division; the Australian Institute of Marine and Power Engineers; and the Australian Maritime Officers Union preserves a role for Australian-resident seafarers in the maritime industry delivering LNG to customers across Asia.The agreement will support employment of around 70 Australian-resident seafarers on an LNG carrier within Woodside’s chartered fleet.
Harsh Weather Offshore LNG Terminal Firm Crown to Merge with Catcha
Crown LNG Holdings AS, a provider of LNG liquefaction and regasification terminal technologies for harsh weather locations, has agreed to merge with Catcha Investment Corp, a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, that would result in Crown becoming a U.S. publicly listed company. The combined company, named Crown LNG Holdings Limited (“PubCo”), intends to apply to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the new ticker symbol “CGBS”.Crown designs and…
Tuscan FSRU to be Moved Offshore by 2026
A liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessel moored in the Tuscan port of Piombino will be moved off the coast of Vado Ligure and Savona in Italy's northwestern region of Liguria, the president of Liguria said on Tuesday.Italian gas grid operator Snam bought the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) last year as part of the Italian government's plan to reduce dependence on Russian gas, but the infrastructure was opposed by the local administration in Piombino.The decision on the proposed site was made after Liguria President Giovanni Toti met Snam's chief executive, a spokesperson for the Liguria president said. The decision on the…
CoolCo to Retrofit Boil-off Reliquefaction Units for Improved CII Performance
HD Hyundai Global Service, a ship service subsidiary of HD Hyundai Group, has announced that it has signed contracts with Cool Company (CoolCo), an owner and operator of LNG vessels, to retrofit five LNG carriers with reliquefaction units.The contract value is approximately US$10 million per vessel.A reliquefaction unit is a device used to re-liquefy the boiled off gas (BOG) generated during the operation of LNG cargo tanks, either returning the gas to the cargo tank or preventing natural evaporation using sub-cooled LNG.
First LNG Bunker Ship Launched in China for Fratelli Cosulich Group
Alice Cosulich, the first of two Small Scale & Bunker Vessels for Fratelli Cosulich Group was recently christened and luanced at the CIMC SOE shipyard in China.Giulia Cosulich, ESG Corporate Director at Fratelli Cosulich Group, acted as the godmother of the vessel.Alice Cosulich and will sail under the Italian flag with Captain Vincenzo Scotto at the helm.The vessel, which has a 5,300 DWT and can carry 8,200 m3 of LNG and 500 m3 of MGO, will be fitted with Wartsila’s Dual Fuel technology.
Seaboard Marine Adds First LNG Vessel to its Fleet
U.S.-based Seaboard Marine announced it has acquired its first vessel fueled by cleaner burning liquefied natural gas (LNG).The 1,000 TEU Seaboard Blue, previously known as the Elbblue, was retrofitted in 2017 with the capability of running on both LNG and diesel fuel. The vessel was the world’s first containership converted from conventional diesel propulsion to LNG.The vessel, now part of Seaboard Marine’s North Central America service, called and bunkered at PortMiami on Monday…
First Vessel Arrives at Freeport LNG Plant Since 2022 Fire
The first liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessel arrived on Friday at Freeport LNG's long-idled export plant in Texas since the facility shut in a fire in June last year, according to ship tracking data from Refinitiv.The vessel Kmarin Diamond is operated by a unit of oil major BP, one of Freeport's big customers, according to several vessel tracking services.News of the vessel's arrival helped boost U.S. natural gas futures by over 5% in post-settlement trade on Friday as the second biggest U.S. LNG export plant will consume a lot of gas once it starts production again.The contract had closed at a 25-month low earlier in the week due mostly to mild weather and low heating demand.Freeport has said it would soon start sending gas to one of the plant's three liquefaction trains…
Marine Services Exec Chad Verret Starts New Consultancy
Chad Verret, a former executive in the offshore marine services business, has started a new marine consultancy called Verret Marine Consulting, LLC. The Louisiana-based company has offices in the Houston area and in Morgan City, La. and will be focused on areas such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel, alternative fuels and marine based liquefaction projects.Verret got his start in the offshore industry nearly 40 years ago, signing on with Tidewater Marine as a deckhand in 1985…
LNG to Play a Leading Role in the Energy Transition, ABS Head Tells USCG Leaders
Liquefied natural gas (LNG) will play a leading role in meeting shipping’s decarbonization goals, Christopher J. Wiernicki, ABS Chairman, President and CEO, said in a keynote speech delivered to U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) leaders at the Liquefied Gas and Alternative Fuels Senior Executive Forum.“We are going to have to begin to balance what we're facing today, which is, essentially, how do we handle energy security relative to the short-term energy security challenge and the longer-term energy transition? LNG is going to play a leading role in this.
Vessel Seeks Other Port on Expected Freeport LNG Delay
At least one liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessel gave up on Freeport LNG's export plant in Texas by Thursday after a growing number of analysts and other sources said the facility would likely not exit its seven-month outage until February or later.The Wilforce vessel, which was expected to reach Freeport in late January, changed its destination to Spain, according to ship tracking data from Refinitiv.Last week, at least two vessels, Elisa Larus and Corcovado LNG, also changed their destinations from Freeport to other ports.Although Freeport LNG on Thursday said that the plant is still on track to restart in the second half of January…
Prelude Loads First Tanker Since Output Suspension
The first liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker to berth at Shell's Prelude floating LNG site off Western Australia since it was shut down after a fire has begun loading, Refinitiv data shows.The Methane Becki Anne vessel berthed at the Prelude plant on Jan. 17, Refinitiv ship-tracking data showed.Gas production at the 3.6 million tonne Prelude facility had been suspended in mid-December after a small fire. At the time, Shell gave no timeline for when the plant would resume output…
Vessel Seeks Other Port After Texas Freeport LNG Delay
At least one liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessel gave up on Freeport LNG's export plant in Texas after the company last week delayed its planned restart to the end of December, ship tracking data from Refinitiv showed.Some analysts have said they do not expect Freeport to return until January, February or even later because it will likely take federal pipeline safety regulators longer than Freeport thinks to review and approve its restart plan.The Freeport shutdown added to the squeeze on global gas caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It helped boost prices in Europe and Asia to record highs over the summer, while capping gains in U.S.