Total’s First LNG Bunker Vessel Launched
Total has launched its first large LNG bunker vessel, following a long-term charter contract between Total and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) in February 2018.
After delivery in 2020, the bunker vessel will operate in Northern Europe, where she will supply LNG to commercial vessels, including 300,000 tons per year for CMA CGM’s nine ultra-large newbuild container ships in Europe-Asia trade, for a period of at least 10 years.
Built by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding at their shipyard near Shanghai, the 18,600 cubic meter bunker vessel is fitted with GTT tanks. The 135-meter vessel is designed to be highly maneuverable for safe port operation.
Touted as the world's largest bunkering ship, she is larger than Nauticor's 7,500 cubic meter vessel Kairos. She also has more capacity than the Shell Shipping & Maritime managed Cardissa which can hold around 6,500 cubic meters of LNG. A 12,000 cubic meter vessel is under construction for Indah Singa Maritime, a subsidiary of MOL, at Sembcorp Marine shipyard. An 8,500 cubic meter sea-going LNG bunker vessel is currently being built by the Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Corporation for an affiliate of ENN Energy Holdings. A 6,000 cubic meter vessel is under construction at Damen Yichang Shipyard, China for Eesti Gaas of Estonia.
Total is the second-largest private global LNG player, with an overall portfolio of around 40 million tons per year by 2020 and a global market share of 10 percent. It sold 22 million tons of LNG in 2018, and has stakes in liquefaction plants in Qatar, Nigeria, Russia, Norway, Oman, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Australia and Angola.
Total Marine Fuels Global Solutions is Total’s dedicated business unit in charge of worldwide bunkering activities.
The International Energy Agency estimates that use of natural gas for transportation could grow by as much as 14 percent between 2016 and 2022. According to DNV GL, there were 154 LNG vessels in operation and 146 vessels on order as of April 2019.