Qatari LNG shipowning giant Nakilat is teaming up with Turkey's Karpowership on the use of floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) for LNG-to-power projects.

The two companies said on Monday that they had signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly own and operate FSRUs for this market.

In a joint statement the companies said the MOU outlines "an ambitious plan for the immediate future" without giving any details of what this would be.

"Nakilat and Karpowership hope to set up a new joint venture and deliver the first FSRU by 2023," they said.

Separately Karpowership is already in partnership with Japanese shipowner Mitsui OSK Lines in a joint venture KARMOL.

In June this partnership has already delivered its first FSRU, the 125,000-cbm KARMOL LNGT Powership Africa (ex-Dwiputra, built 1994), to supply a powership off Dakar, in Senegal, West Africa. However a first cargo for the regas vessel is still awaited.

The pair are also converting another LNG carrier into an FSRU and a third ship has been acquired for conversion.

Commenting on the new agreement today Nakilat chief executive Abdullah Al Sulaiti said his company is excited to sign this agreement.

Al Sulaiti said: "This fits very well with Nakilat's long-term growth plan to expand and diversify our shipping portfolio and strengthens our position as a global leader in the energy transportation sector."

His counterpart at Karpowership Orhan Remzi Karadeniz said the tie up will enhance the company's ability to offer "a one stop shop tailor-made solution to our customers through our integrated business model where we design, develop, engineer and construct our entire assets."

He added: "FSRUs together with powerships deliver energy to any country around the world, by utilising a cleaner and more reliable fuel than many existing options."

Nakilat operates a fleet of 69 LNG carriers — including the world's largest Q-Flex and Q-Max ships, owns one FSRU and operates the Erhama Bin Jaber Al Jalahma Shipyard in Ras Laffan.

Karpowership owns and operates over 30 powerships and has 5GW of installed capacity, comprising both land-based and floating plants, operating across 11 international markets.