Gas Carriers News

Singapore-based BW Epic Kosan (BWEK), a provider of LPG, petrochemicals and specialty gas transportation, has signed an agreement with bound4blue for the installation of a 24-meter tall eSAIL suction sail on the 2007-buit Helena Kosan vessel.The autonomous wind propulsion system, to be installed in 2026, will allow BWEK to save fuel, cut emissions, reduce costs and simplify regulatory compliance, as the BW Group-affiliated company invests to support industry decarbonization goals.The…

ClassNK has issued an approval in principle (AiP) for an ammonia-fueled LPG/NH3 carrier, applied for jointly by Kawasaki Heavy Industries and MITSUI E&S.The certification demonstrates its feasibility from regulatory and safety perspectives.Ammonia, which does not emit CO2 during combustion, is expected to see wider use as a zero-carbon fuel for ships. At present, various studies and development efforts are underway to bring ammonia fuelled ships into practical use.In 2021, prior to the establishment of specific international standards for the use of ammonia as fuel for ships…

Amon Maritime has entered into a joint venture with Navigator Holdings Ltd., the owner and operator of the world’s largest fleet of handysize liquefied gas carriers.Pursuant to the Joint Venture, Navigator will acquire approximately 80% of the joint venture company, Navigator Amon Shipping AS, of Norway, with Amon Maritime holding approximately 20%, subject to the investment terms and conditions. The Joint Venture intends to construct two new 51,530 cubic meter capacity ammonia fueled liquefied ammonia carriers…

ABS issued approval in principle (AiP) to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) for a new design of a cargo handling system and fuel gas supply system.Named Hi-ecoGAS and Hi-neoGAS, the systems are designed to handle boil-off gas in dual-fuel engines on gas carriers. The innovative approach has an optimized fuel gas supply system for feeding the fuel gas to the dual-fuel engine, or an LNG subcooling system for handling boil-off gas.Boil-off gas can present significant challenges to storage and transportation…

KR (Korean Register) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) to jointly develop a very large ethane carrier (VLEC).The new VLEC to be developed under the partnership will have a cargo capacity exceeding 100,000 m3.It will be designed to maximize cargo volume while minimizing changes to the main specifications of conventional vessel designs.Additionally, the vessel will be capable of transporting a variety of cargoes, such as LPG and propylene…

KR (Korean Register) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with HD Hyundai Mipo and HD Korean Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) to collaborate on safe and sustainable tank design for green ships.The three parties aim to improve the structural safety and design reliability of IMO Type-C independent tanks - one of the most widely adopted containment systems for low-emission vessels.Type-C tanks are commonly used on small to mid-sized gas carriers and bunkering vessels due to their structural independence and ability to store high-pressure cargo…

Classification Society DNV has granted Approval in Principle (AiP) certificates to Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding for three new vessel designs.The AiPs highlight the ongoing collaboration between the two organizations and reinforce their shared commitment to supporting the continued development of Chinese shipbuilding and the maritime industry’s low-carbon transition and technical advancement.The three AiPs represent the continuing advancement of Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in key shipping segments…

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has taken delivery of the Kohzan Maru VII, a newbuilding dual-fuel methanol carrier, which will serve Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company (MGC) under a long-term charter.The Kohzan Maru VII was delivered at HD Hyundai Mipo shipyard, where the naming ceremy took place.The vessel is the first methanol dual-fuel ocean-going vessel to sail under a long-term chartered by a Japanese charterer.Back in 1983, MOL and MGC introduced Japan’s first methanol dedicated carrier…

Lloyd's Register (LR) has approved the design of ammonia dual-fuel systems design for Trafigura's newbuild medium gas carriers (MGCs).LR completed an extensive design evaluation and safety assessment to approve the designs in line with its rules and international regulations.Implementing ammonia dual-fuel systems on these vessels marks a significant step towards expanding the use of low-carbon fuels beyond specialized vessels to more diverse ship types.Trafigura is one of the…

Yara Clean Ammonia Switzerland, a subsidiary company of the world’s largest ammonia distributor Yara International, has signed a time-charter contract with Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) for an ammonia-fueled medium gas carrier (AFMGC) to be delivered in November 2026.Since 2021, Yara Clean Ammonia and NYK have jointly studied the practical application of an ammonia-fueled ammonia gas carrier, and the companies have now concluded the world’s first time-charter contract for an AFMGC…

Wärtsilä Gas Solutions, part of technology group Wärtsilä, will supply the complete cargo handling system for a new fully pressurized LPG Carrier being built for Meghna Fresh LPG, part of the Bangladeshi Meghna Group of Industries.The group is one of the Bangladesh’s largest industrial conglomerates, and in addition to being the owner of the new ship, it also owns the shipyard where the vessel is constructed and is the owner of the energy industries that the vessel will serve.The Wärtsilä scope for the complete cargo handling system covers three main parts - the engineering scope…

Avance Gas has delivered the first very large gas carrier (VLGC) to BW LPG, marking the start of deliveries of total 12 vessels as part of $1.05 billion agreement signed earlier in 2024.Avance Gas concluded sale and delivery of the first VLGC, the 2015-built non-scrubber ship Chinook, to BW LPG on November 1, 2024.As part of the transaction, 1.35 million shares in BW LPG have been issued to Avance Gas corresponding to approximately 1% ownership share.The vessel is currently on…

Liquefied natural gas shipping rates have hit multi-year lows and may extend losses going into 2025, analysts and shipping sources said, with new tankers being added at a faster rate than LNG production is rising and spot demand still tepid.New LNG tankers, built in anticipation of rising U.S. exports after a plunge in Russian gas supplies to Europe in 2022, are coming online earlier than liquefaction projects, which have been delayed amid inflation from strong wage growth and a shortage of skilled labour and equipment.With more ships expected to come…

Ships carrying Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Asia are returning to the longer routes around Africa's Cape of Good Hope rather than those along the Arctic shore as the winter season begins, LSEG data showed on Thursday.Russia's new Arctic LNG 2 project also lacks enough ice-class gas carriers to continue navigation along the Northern Sea Route, although some such tankers still sail it.According to LSEG data, the conventional gas tanker LNG Megrez loaded at Yamal LNG plant on Oct. 2 and started its voyage around Africa to Asia with arrival set for Nov.

French engineering company GTT has received an order from Korean shipyard HD Hyundai Samho for the tank design of two new Ultra Large Ethane Carriers (ULEC).The order has been placed on behalf of shipowner Eastern Pacific Shipping.GTT will design the tanks of these two vessels, which will each offer total capacity of 150,000 m3. The tanks will be fitted with the Mark III membrane containment system developed by GTT.The containment system has been designed to carry a wide range of liquefied gases from the petrochemical industry…

Wärtsilä Gas Solutions, part of technology group Wärtsilä, has been contracted to supply the cargo handling and fuel gas supply systems for six newbuild medium-sized gas carrier (MGC) vessels.The new vessels are built at the Jiangsu Yangzi-Mitsui (YAMIC) Shipbuilding yard in China for a Japanese shipowner.The YAMIC yard is a joint venture between Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group and Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding.The Wärtsilä equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yard commencing in…

Russia has begun designing nuclear-powered submarines to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the Arctic to Asia to try to nearly halve the journey time along the Northern Sea Route (NSR), a senior state official has said.Russia already uses nuclear-powered ice breakers to pave the way for such transport via the NSR, which runs along Russia's Arctic shores from Murmansk in the west to the Bering Strait in the east, a route Moscow sees as a faster alternative to the Suez Canal and has plans to develop.But Russia is suffering from a shortage of vessels able to battle thick Arctic ice…

The Pioneer tanker, sanctioned by the United States over its links to Russia-sourced liquefied natural gas (LNG), has passed through the Suez Canal with an LNG cargo, LSEG data showed on Monday.The source of the LNG and Palau-flagged Pioneer's destination were not immediately clear. The tanker is registered to Zara Shipholding Co, which has offices in Dubai and India's Mumbai.Shippers have largely shunned the Suez route since late last year to avoid attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis in the Red Sea.The canal is a key trade link between Europe and Asia, channeling nearly 12% of global cargo.

Britain on Thursday sanctioned five vessels and two associated entities involved in the shipping of Russian LNG, with the government saying it was using new legal powers for the first time to target LNG vessels directly."Earlier this year, the UK sanctioned Arctic LNG 2, alongside our allies in the US and EU. Since then, the project has been forced to slash production," the government statement said."Today’s action builds on this by targeting ships and entities involved in the Russian LNG sector…

The shipping unit of Indonesia's state energy firm Pertamina plans to double its fleet of 320 tankers in the next 10 years, the unit's CEO Yoki Firnandi told the Gastech conference in Houston on Thursday.The expansion, aimed at reducing the average age of the company's fleet, is set to include investment in vessels to transport liquefied natural gas (LNG).Indonesia is a major producer and exporter of LNG.

Marine energy infrastructure solutions company Höegh LNG announced it has rebranded as Höegh Evi in a move that reflects its expansion beyond liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels and terminals.Standing for “energy vector infrastructure,” the name Evi encompass a wider range of clean energy solutions, including floating infrastructure for ammonia and hydrogen, as well as carbon transport and storage (CCS), in addition to LNG.“In a world of rapid change and evolving energy demands, customers need a partner to help them balance today’s energy security needs with tomorrow’s clean energy ambitions.

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.

DNV has issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) to HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) for its cutting-edge electric propulsion liquefied hydrogen (LH₂) carrier design, which has the potential to store and transport up to 80,000 cubic meters of LH₂. The approval is a key achievement in a collaborative effort involving major industry players: HD KSOE, Woodside Energy, Hyundai Glovis, and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL). Together, these companies are working to create…