MOL Takes Delivery of LNG Carrier
Mitsui O.S.K Lines Limited (MOL) has taken delivery of the LNG carrier Papua built by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Company.
The Papua is the first in a series of four vessels to provide LNG transportation for the PNG LNG project in Papua New Guinea and the Gorgon LNG project in Australia.
MOL will operate the Papua ship under a long-term charter for the PNG LNG project, which is operated by ExxonMobil.
In January 2011, MOL assigned technical experts to the shipyard in China and created a shipbuilding supervision team to ensure the safe and high-quality construction of these LNG carriers. Since then, the company has been actively involved in the project to build these LNG carriers in China, in cooperation with ExxonMobil.
The ship was named Papua by the First Lady of Papua New Guinea, Lynda Babao O'Neill, in a naming ceremony at the Hudong shipyard on 8 January. The vessel will be used to transport LNG for China’s Sinopec, and is co-owned by China Shipping and Sinopec.
MOL’s strong and successful relationship with its Chinese partners in this project led to an initiative to build a further six new LNG carriers for SINOPEC, in which MOL has participated since April 2013. These ships are now under construction at Hudong. A total of 10 vessels, including the four serving the PNG LNG and Gorgon Jansz projects, will be completed by 2017. Completion of the first vessel marks a significant milestone.
