Small-scale LNG company Avenir LNG has made its long-planned newbuildings move contracting a pair of LNG bunker vessels in China.
The company announced it had booked two 20,000-cbm vessels at Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering Co, which is a subsidiary of CIMC Enric.
No price details were given.
The two vessels are due to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2026 and in the first three months of 2027.
Avenir said the newbuildings will be fitted with “new type-C tank designs”.
The company said the vessels will offer lower cargo boil-off rates and will be built with the latest engine technologies, hull form optimisation and sub-coolers to cut carbon emissions and minimise cargo losses in comparison with other vessels of this size.
“The vessel design enables maximum compatibility and versatility for loading and discharging LNG and bio-LNG to a wide range of receiving vessels and terminals, reflecting the growing needs of our customers,” Avenir said.
The company described this as a “major new investment programme” which it said marks the second phase of growth for Avenir, increasing its fleet by 40% and 80% in terms of total capacity.
Avenir managing director Jonathan Quinn said the company is pleased to be returning to the yard where it built its last four vessels.
“With the demand for LNG and BioLNG as a bunker fuel set to grow over the next decade, these vessels will play a vital role in ensuring security of supply and decarbonising global shipping markets,” Quinn said.
Along with these latest two newbuildings, Avenir — which is a joint venture of Stolt-Nielsen, Hoegh LNG and Golar LNG — owns and operates five LNGBVs and supply vessels and a small-scale LNG terminal in Sardinia, Italy.
The newbuildings will come as no surprise to those following the company and engaged in the LNG bunkering sector.
In February, Quinn told TradeWinds that the next phase for the company would be to go into investment mode as its existing vessels are in demand.
By the end of the year, we’d hope to have a newbuilding programme going,” he told TradeWinds. “The company can’t stand still. We’re essentially fully booked.”
He the company has spent time improving the design of its existing two 20,000-cbm LNGBVs and agreed specifications and contracts with its shipyard. “We could move very quickly,” he said at the time.
Participants in LNG bunkering have flagged up a looming shortfall of LNGBVs from the end of 2025 and into 2026 when some of the large LNG dual-fuelled newbuildings start being delivered.
