Avenir LNG's second newbuilding has been handed over to its charterer, with the vessel being lined up to potentially carry a commissioning cargo to a new terminal in Sardinia.
The company announced on Wednesday that the 7,500-cbm LNG supply and bunkering newbuilding Avenir Accolade has been delivered from Keppel Offshore & Marine's shipyard in Nantong, China.
The vessel has started its three-year bareboat charter to LNG Power, a subsidiary of Hygo Energy Transition. Hygo is a joint venture of Avenir shareholder Golar LNG and Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners that is in the process of being sold to US-listed New Fortress Energy.
Under new charterer Hygo, the Avenir Accolade is due to head to Brazil to work on the outfit's new projects there.
But TradeWinds has learned that one option is for the vessel to ship in a first commissioning cargo to Avenir's new Higas LNG terminal in Sardinia.
Complexities
Avenir chief executive Peter Mackey said: "We are working together with our charterer Hygo Energy Transition to explore whether it will be possible for the Avenir Accolade to deliver the commissioning cargo to Higas in Sardinia."
But he added: “There is some complexity in terms of finalising permits for Higas and aligning commissioning of the Higas terminal with the charters own requirements for the vessel."
Commenting on the delivery of the second of its six newbuildings, Avenir said this latest vessel marks the company’s first entry into the Latin American LNG market.
The vessel will be able to deliver LNG to Hygo’s customers along the Brazilian coast and is fitted with special equipment that will allow it to unload LNG directly into trucks for onward distribution across the country.
Mackey said the delivery is another “important milestone” for Avenir.
“2021 is a transformational year for Avenir LNG as we commission our on-shore LNG terminal in Sardinia in the coming weeks and continue to expand our fleet with the addition of four more newbuild vessels by year end,” he said.
A third vessel — the 7,500-cbm Avenir Aspiration — is due for handover in the second quarter of this year.
The company's first 20,000-cbm vessel, the Avenir Allegiance, is scheduled for delivery from Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering in August.
Two more newbuildings will follow in the fourth quarter.
