Karpowership Keeps Expansion Going in New Partnership With Seatrium

 

Karpowership, the Turkish operator of floating powerplants, is continuing its expansion program with an agreement with Singaporean offshore yard Seatrium. 

Karpowership is the world's leading operator of mobile, charter-ready floating power plants. It operates a fleet of dozens of fuel oil or LNG-powered "powerships," with a cumulative generating capacity of more than 10 gigawatts of power. 

According to the company, the vessels can be directly connected to existing electrical infrastructure in less than 30 days, giving a rapid boost to any underserved grid. These ships are often deployed to less-developed nations to plug gaps in generating capacity, and Karpowership has attracted customers in 20 countries around the world, including Brazil, Ecuador, Gabon, The Gambia, Lebanon and Mozambique. 

As it expands its reach, Karpowership has signed an agreement with Singaporean shipbuilder Seatrium to carry out the conversions that create its ships. Under the deal, Karpowership will supply four tanker hulls and primary equipment, and Seatrium will turn the secondhand vessels into powerships. The agreement extends a longstanding commercial partnership between the two companies, and the next round of construction is slated to begin in Q1 2027. 

This time, the equipment will be modular and designed for future integration of other technologies, such as gas turbines or carbon capture systems, said Karpowership CTO Gokhan Kocak. 

In a similar arrangement, Seatrium will convert three used LNG carriers into FSRUs for Karpowership, which has a growing business in the regasification space. The scope involves installing regasification modules, spread-mooring systems, cargo handling systems, and gear for offloading, electrical supply and automation. Seatrium already has delivered four FSRUs for Karpowership, with three more undergoing conversion. 

"This LOI marks a pivotal step in our journey to build a global franchise in floating power infrastructure," said Seatrium EVP for repairs Alvin Gan. "We are proud to be a long-term trusted partner in . . . a variety of innovative solutions in new generation powerships, FLNGs, floating battery, floating data centres and water de-salination vessels."