LNG

Anglo American, the UK-listed global mining and commodties company, has taken delivery of the last of its 10-strong chartered fleet of Capesize-plus liquefied natural gas dual-fuelled bulk carriers.

The vessel, the “Ubuntu Liberty”, made its maiden voyage from China to Saldanha Bay in South Africa to collect a cargo of high-quality iron ore.

The loading marked the successful on-time delivery of all 10 ships built over the last three years by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding in China.

“Launching the final vessel of our Ubuntu fleet is a very large manifestation of our commitment to more sustainable shipping,” said Matt Walker, Chief Executive of Anglo American’s Marketing business.

Dedicated

“This is testament to our dedication to a sustainable path forward for our controllable ocean freight, ensuring the delivery of essential resources to our customers around the world,” Walker explained.

“It also puts us in a market-leading position as the charterer of the largest LNG dual-fuelled Capesize-plus fleet in the world,” stated Walker.

The word “Ubuntu” carried by the ships comes from the Zulu language in Southern Africa where Anglo American has operations. The word has its roots in humanist African beliefs whereby the idea of “community” is one of the building blocks of society.

Anglo American executive Walker explained that customers had shown a keen interest in accessing the Ubuntu freight fleet, demonstrating growing recognition of the value of sustainable shipping.

“I thank Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding for its collaboration to deliver these vessels on time, on budget and most importantly, with a stellar zero-safety incident record,” Walker said.

“Our gratitude also goes to all the other companies and agencies that partnered with us to make the Ubuntu fleet roll-out a success,” he declared.

The Ubuntu fleet is a key component of Anglo American’s ambition to achieve carbon-neutrality for its controlled ocean freight by 2040, aligning with Anglo American’s Sustainable Mining Plan.

Advantages

LNG dual-fuelled vessels offer an estimated 35 percent reduction in emissions compared with ships fuelled by conventional marine oil fuel and are regarded as the most efficient vessels of their type today.

Anglo American explained that since the first vessel was loaded in early 2023, the Ubuntu fleet has successfully and safely moved 6.4 million tonnes of iron ore and steelmaking coal across global shipping routes.

Additionally, the Ubuntu fleet has conducted over 30 refuelling stops for LNG in strategic locations such as Singapore and Malaysia, further demonstrating the company’s commitment to embracing sustainable fuel alternatives.

Four of the vessels, the “Ubuntu Harmony”, the “Ubuntu Equality”, the “Ubuntu Integrity” and the “Ubuntu Loyalty” are all flagged in Singapore, an LNG bunkering hub.

Two more of the 10 LNG-capable vessels, the “Ubuntu Unity” and the “Ubuntu Community” fly the Greek flag.

The remaining four vessels fly the Red Ensign of the UK. They are the “Ubuntu Empathy”, the “Ubuntu Humanity”, the “Ubuntu Sincerity” and the “Ubuntu Liberty”.

Dec 8 (LNGJ) - French LNG maritime storage tank designer GTT has signed a “strategic cooperation agreement” with China State Shipbuilding Corp. (CSSC), the leading Chinese shipbuilding group.

   The accord was signed at the Marintec China international trade fair in Shanghai. “The agreement provides for cooperation between GTT and 12 subsidiaries of the CSSC conglomerate, notably in ship design and construction, cryogenic containment technologies for LNG shipping, LNG as fuel and smart shipping1 solutions,” said GTT. Among the CSSC subsidiaries are Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding, the Jiangnan Shipyard, Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co. and Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding.

The American Bureau of Shipping, the US classification society, said the first liquefied natural gas-powered Newcastlemax bulk carrier in an order of 13 ABS-classed vessels for Eastern Pacific Shipping has been fuelled with LNG in a bunkering operation at Singapore, and was now heading for Australia to load iron ore for Asia.

March 10 (LNGJ) - Qatar Petroleum, along with several leading international LNG players, have signed a multi-party agreement with LNT Marine, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), and Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding of China to collaborate on the development of new medium and large LNG carrier designs. The Qataris said the agreement paved the way for the establishment of a Joint Industry Project (JIP) targeting the development of new LNG carrier designs using the LNT A-BOX LNG cargo containment system.

   Other signatories to the agreement include Qatargas and affiliates of ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell and Total. The LNT A-BOX LNG cargo system is a new design recently deployed on the 45,000 cubic metres capacity ABS-classed vessel “Saga Dawn”, which entered commercial service in 2020. “We are pleased to collaborate with LNT Marine, ABS, and SWS to introduce new designs utilizing innovative technologies,” said Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, President and Chief Executive of Qatar Petroleum.

The Asian shipbuilding industry is heading for even tighter competition for orders to build vessels such as LNG carriers, oil tankers and container ships as two of the largest Chinese shipbuilding companies are examining a merger plan at the same time as two of the biggest South Korean shipyard operators are also advancing with a merger proposal.

Lloyd’s Register, the UK maritime classification society, has agreed to jointly develop a dual-fuel bulk carrier, including liquefied natural gas-powered capability, with Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co. of China.