LNG

Snam looks for FSRUs and LNGCs

Italian energy infrastructure company Snam is seeking to timecharter LNGCs and FSRUs. An announcement was published on the Official Journal of the European Union with the aim of gaining contacts for Snam Rete Gas. Snam is the main Italian transporter and dispatcher of natural gas in Italy, having almost all the transport infrastructure in the country with 32,727 km of gas pipelines. The company is also one of the main regasification operators through the control of the onshore LNG terminal in Panigaglia and participation in the offshore terminal Adriatic LNG.

LNGC approached by pirates

Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) has confirmed that its chartered 176,800 cu m LNGC ‘LNG Lagos II’ suffered a pirate threat en route to the Bonny Terminal in the early hours of Friday, 18th December 2020. A statement by Eyono Fatayi-Williams, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, read; “All personnel are safe and there is no report of physical attack or damage to vessel. The threat was averted after evasive manoeuvres by the vessel’s Master.”

Nakilat takes FSRU in-house

Nakilat has assumed the technical shipmanagement and operations of the FSRU ‘Exquisite’ from Excelerate Technical Management (ETM) with effect from 17th December, 2020. The FSRU is jointly owned by Nakilat and Excelerate Energy through a joint venture established in 2018. She is the first FSRU to be managed in-house by Nakilat Shipping Qatar Limited (NSQL). ‘Exquisite’ has a cargo carrying capacity of 150,900 cu m and a peak regasification rate of 690 mill cu ft per day. To date, the vessel has received more than 330 LNG cargoes since it started operations in 2015. In addition, Nakilat has taken delivery of the newbuilding LNGC, ‘Global Star’, which will also be commercially and technically managed in-house. Built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), she is the second out of four LNGCs to be delivered to Global Shipping, a joint venture between Nakilat (60%) and Maran Ventures (40%). The delivery of all four newbuild LNG carriers will bring Nakilat’s fleet to 74 vessels, which is just under 12% of the current global LNG fleet based on carrying capacity.

GTT receives orders

GTT has received an order from Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI) for the tank design of four LNGCs. Three of the 174,000 cu m vessels will be built by HHI, two on behalf of an Asian shipowner and one on behalf of a European shipowner. The fourth LNGC will be built by HSHI on behalf of a European shipowner. GTT will design the vessels’ tanks, which will be fitted with the Mark III Flex membrane containment system. Deliveries of the vessels are scheduled for the third and fourth quarter of 2024. In addition, GTT received an order from Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for the tank design of a new 174,000 cu m LNGC on behalf of an undisclosed shipowner. She will be fitted with the Mark III Flex membrane containment system and the vessel is scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2023.

FSRU ‘LNG Croatia’ online

Golar LNG has confirmed that the FSRU ’LNG Croatia’ (ex ‘Golar Viking’) has been accepted by LNG Hrvatska resulting in the sale being completed. Golar said that the sale would release about $47 mill of free cash between the fourth quarter of last year and the first quarter of 2021 after repayment of the vessel debt facility and settlement of remaining conversion and commissioning costs. The company will now operate and maintain the FSRU for a minimum period of 10 years under the contract with LNG Hrvatska. The first LNGC to arrive at the FSRU - ‘Tristar Ruby’ - completed the transfer of LNG on 3rd January. She had arrived from Cove Point, according to ship tracking data.

Damietta to reopen soon

New agreements could pave the way for the Damietta LNG plant to restart operations by the first quarter of this year, according to operator and part owner Eni. Last month, the Italian energy group agreed deals with Spanish gas firm Naturgy and Egyptian partners to resolve the disputes at the closed gas plant.

Markets - fleet changes

Four LNGCs have been ordered on the back of long term charters to Shell Tankers (Singapore), adding to the eight contracted during the past 18 months. To be delivered from Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hyundai Samho by the beginning of 2024, two vessels are being built for Pan Ocean, another for Knutsen OAS and the other for clients of JP Morgan. Each 174,000 cu m vessel was estimated to cost $186.5 mill and will be fitted with a dual fuel X-DF engine, boil-off management systems and Shell’s proprietary ships software JAWS for greater vessel efficiency and reduced emissions. Samsung Heavy Industries, (SHI) has also received an order worth Won408.2 bill from an undisclosed shipowner in Oceania to build two LNGCs. SHI said in a regulatory filing in late December that the two LNGCs would be delivered by February, 2024. On 30th December, Pan Ocean said it had agreed to timecharter an LNGC to Galp Energia for five years, plus two extension options at an estimated total sales of around $115 mill. The charter will start from February, 2023. SHI confirmed it had signed a Won199 bill ($183 mill) contract to build an LNGC for Pan Ocean to be delivered by April 2023. Towards the end of last month, Minerva completed the sea and gas trials on the LNGC ‘Minerva Psara’. She is first of two LNGCs under construction at DSME for Minerva. She is of 173,400 cu m and is fitted with MAN’s MEGI 2-stroke engines and a full reliquefication system. Capital Gas Ship Management has taken delivery of the LNGC ‘Aristidis I’ from Hyundai Heavy Industries. She is the second of seven 174,000 cu m LNGCs ordered by Capital. The vessel has been chartered to BP Shipping for up to 12 years. Flex LNG has taken delivery of ’Flex Freedom’ from DSME, the company’s 11th newbuild. The company said that the remaining newbuildings,’Flex Volunteer’ and ’Flex Vigilant’, are due to be delivered later this year. Elsewhere, the 170,000 cu m FSRU ’Jawa Satu’ has left SHI’s Geoje shipyard. She is owned by Jawa Satu Regas - a joint venture between Indonesian state-owned Pertamina, Japan's Marubeni and Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), and Tokyo-based trading firm Sojitz. She is due at Indonesia's Bontang liquefaction facility on 15th January. Leaving the fleet are the ‘Atlantic Energy’ and ‘Pacific Energy’ believed sold to Bangladesh breakers for $451 per ldt each. Managed by Sinokor, they had been laid up since 2015. They were built by Kockums at Malmo in 1984 and 1981, respectively. Another LNGC reportedly sold for recycling was the 1984-built Japanese controlled ‘Senshu Maru’. Broking sources said she was committed to Indian breakers for $523 per LDT on the basis of ClassNK Hong Kong Convention protocols.