Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has signed a long-term charter contract to operate Asia’s largest LNG bunkering vessel (LNGBV) in Singapore.
The deal for the 12,000-cbm LNGBV has been agreed with Singapore-state owned Pavilion Gas – an arm of Pavilion Energy. Financial terms were not disclosed.
To fulfill the contract MOL has ordered an LNGBV newbuilding at Singapore’s Sembcorp Marine for delivery by early 2021.
The vessel will be managed by Singapore bunker tanker owner and operator Sinanju Tankers Holdings under an agreement with MOL.
“While Singapore has entrenched itself as the world’s largest bunkering port, our foray into LNG bunkering is still in its early stages,” said Sinanju managing director Ju Kai Meng.
“Sinanju is committed to extend our unstinting support towards developing Singapore as a leading LNG bunkering hub as we have in the marine fuel oils sector.”
Pavilion will co-share the utilisation of this dual-fuel LNG bunker tanker with Total Marine Fuels under an agreement between the two companies.
Pavilion is a licenced LNG importer and an LNG bunker supplier in the Port of Singapore. It has secured one of two LNG bunker supplier licences from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
This is the second major LNGBV contract win for MOL, which in late 2017 won the job of building an 18,600-cbm vessel that will be used by Total to bunker CMA CGM’s fleet of nine 22,000-teu dual-fuelled containerships.
