LNG

The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) 80th session in-person conference is under way in London at the International Maritime Organisation with the LNG shipping industry hoping for clear-cut decisions rather than the obfuscation often favoured by UN agencies as they try to please too many interests.

SEA-LNG, the multi-sector industry coalition established to demonstrate the commercial and environmental benefits of LNG as a marine fuel, has signed up Mexico’s natural gas company Énestas as a member and it will help provide insights into Mexican and US LNG infrastructure and bunkering.

Énestas is focused on providing competitive access to raw materials and fuels necessary for the development of regional industries and communities in Mexico.

SEA-LNG said that in doing so, Énestas has successfully built and implemented innovative logistics projects that are “one of a kind” in Latin America, including the fast-tracked Coatzacoalcos project in the Mexican state of Veracruz.

Énestas has the largest LNG distribution network in Mexico and is expanding gas infrastructure and logistics solutions in the region including LNG bunkering, where it sees strong opportunities.

“The firm is proud to join SEA-LNG as a partner that will help ship owners and operators to move forward towards a cleaner future for shipping with LNG,” said Miguel González de Cossío Vigil, Commercial Director of Énestas.

“SEA-LNG’s high-quality research and networking opportunities will be invaluable to the Énestas team as we continue to enhance gas and fuel accessibility,” he added.

Steve Esau, Chief Operating Officer, of SEA-LNG said he was delighted to have Énestas on board.

LNG expansion

“We are pleased to be able to support Énestas in its goal of safely and efficiently expanding LNG supply and bunkering infrastructure in Mexico and the USA, creating jobs and economic benefits in a key maritime region,” Esau stated.

Peter Keller, Chairman of SEA-LNG, concluded that the body is a catalyst for uniting the LNG fuel sector

“SEA-LNG continues to unite organisations from across the LNG value chain to further improve LNG availability worldwide, and to help the global shipping industry to address local emissions,” Keller said.

SEA-LNG said the recent addition of Énestas to its membership supports this drive and noted that the UK-based ship services company Clarksons reported that LNG was now available as bunkering fuel at 185 ports worldwide with a further 50 re-fuelling facilities planned by 2025.

French LNG storage designer GTT will supply the tanks for six more LNG-powered containerships ordered from South Korea by France’s Marseille-based shipping group CMA CGM.

The six containerships are being constructed at the Korean shipyard of Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries.

The vessels, each capable of carrying 8,000 containers, will be equipped with an LNG fuel tank with a capacity of 6,000 cubic metres. Each LNG tank will be fitted with GTT’s Mark II Flex membrane containment technology.

The deliveries of the vessels are scheduled from the fourth quarter of 2024 to the fourth quarter of 2025.

GTT noted that the CMA CGM order brings the total number of containerships to 80 that will have LNG capability and be equipped with the Paris-based firm’s storage tanks.

“This order underlines the renewed confidence of our partner CMA CGM in GTT's technologies to equip its LNG-powered container ships,” said Philippe Berterottière, Chairman and Chief Executive of GTT.

“The GTT group is proud to put its technological innovation at the service of the decarbonisation of global maritime transport,” added Berterottière.

China-built vessels

CMA CGM is a pioneer of LNG-powered containerships and has about 12 more of the vessels being built in China.

The shipping line has said it aimed have a fleet of 44 LNG-fuelled containerships by 2024.

The 12 China-built vessels will be delivered between the last quarter of 2023 and the third quarter of 2024.

The construction contracts for those CMA CGM newbuilds were awarded to Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding and Jiangnan Shipyard Co.

Each of the Chinese yards is building six vessels able to carry between 13,000 and 15,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) of containers.

The first ever LNG-powered containership was delivered to CMA CGM from the Hudong-Zhonghua yard and entered commercial operation in September 2020.

The 23,000 TEU “CMA CGM Jacques Saadé” was named after the late Lebanon-born founder of the shipping line and father of current Chairman Rodolphe Saadé.

China’s Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. (DSIC) said the world’s first LNG-powered very large crude carrier, the “Yuan Rui Yang”, would soon be ready to hand over to Cosco Shipping Energy Transportation after completing its gas trials following successful sea trials and LNG bunkering during the fourth quarter.

MAN Energy Solutions has won an order from German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd for engines with LNG-powered capability and equipment for six ultra-large container vessels to be built in South Korea.