An LNG carrier newbuilding controlled by Dutch shipowner Anthony Veder is heading for its first charter in the Caribbean.
The 30,000-cbm Coral Encanto, which is financed through a Chinese leasing structure with purchase options, finally left China’s Ningbo Xinle Shipbuilding on 13 July.
The ship paused for a day, off Ulsan in South Korea, before heading towards the US, where it is due to arrive on 5 August.
Anthony Veder chief executive Jan Valkier told TradeWinds that the ship will be trading in the Caribbean region. But he declined to comment on the vessel’s charterer or the terms of any hire.
TradeWinds understands the ship is linked to business for US-listed small-scale LNG project developer New Fortress Energy, which has put projects into operation in Jamaica and Puerto Rico.
Wes Edens-led New Fortress is also pursuing a new import facility for La Paz on the west coast of Mexico.
New Fortress link
Anthony Veder has history with New Fortress, with the US company using the Dutch owner’s small-scale LNG carriers for its existing projects.
The Coral Encanto — the ship’s second Spanish name means “charm” — has been under Anthony Veder’s control in the shipyard for more than 16 months.
When it was purchased in March 2019, Anthony Veder, which put its own team into the yard to complete the ship, said the vessel would likely deliver in June or July of that year.
The ship was a surprise buy for the owner as the LNG carrier had been dismissed by others as being poorly constructed.
Upgraded vessel
Valkier sidestepped questions on the detail of what the work involved, but said the company had upgraded the ship to its standards and the trade it is intended for.
“We put in our 10-year knowledge of trading small-scale LNG carriers,” he said. “This was more work than anticipated, but we are very happy with the end result.”
The Coral Encanto was originally ordered in 2013 by Zhejiang Yuanhe Ocean Shipping, which later went out of business and ceased trading.
The small-scale vessel was launched as the Yuan He 1, later becoming the Xinle 30 in 2017.
It was put up for sale for $78m but did not attract any buyers until Anthony Veder announced it had purchased the vessel in March 2019.
Anthony Veder controls a fleet of 38 gas tankers, of which 10 are LNG-capable and one is a purposely-designed LNG bunker vessel.
