Singapore’s Pavilion Energy is being named as a potential charterer of Saga LNG Shipping’s pioneering small vessel fitted with a new type of cargo containment system.
Industry sources said Pavilion has been in close talks over a short-term deal on the 45,000-cbm LNG carrier Saga Dawn (built 2019), which will use the first application of the owner’s LNT A-Box tanks.
Pavilion declined to comment. A spokesman for Saga LNG said the talk is incorrect, adding that the ship is at the yard for Chinese New Year.
Pavilion emerged in the market last year as it sought to grow its bunkering and breakbulk activities. It was looking for small LNG tonnage of about 20,000 cbm to 30,000 cbm and larger vessels of 80,000 cbm.
Group chief executive Frederic Barnaud told TradeWinds last month the company was shortlisting owners and expecting to make a decision in the first half of this year on the ship types and sizes it needs for the projects it is pursuing.
This is not the first time a term charterer has been named for the Saga Dawn.
Last year, Japanese shipowner MOL considered the LNG carrier for business in Asia.
The vessel, which was built at China Merchants Heavy Industry's Jiangsu yard, was delivered last year.
Saga LNG chairman David Wu has said he expects the ship will trade in the spot market for three or four months before it gets long-term employment.
There has been considerable interest in itsA-typecontainment system, but it appears that few are keen to be first to trial the ship commercially.
The vessel is the only one with such tanks to be built in this size range.
To date, its nearest cousins are two other Chinese-built ships of about 30,000 cbm, the Hai Yang Shi You 301 (built 2015) and yet-to-be delivered Coral Encanto.
At the larger end are two older vessels, the 65,000-cbm sisterships Portovenere (built 1997) and Lerici (built 1998), which are controlled by Malaysia’s Petronas.
