Venture Global LNG to Buy Fleet of LNG Vessels
Venture Global LNG said on Sunday it would acquire a fleet of nine liquefied natural gas (LNG) transport vessels, expanding its ability to sell and ship its own cargoes.Venture Global LNG has exported hundreds of cargoes since it started liquefying gas for export in 2022 from the first of its three planned facilities in Louisiana. The vessels it used were owned by other companies and leased.The nine vessels in Venture Global's future fleet will be built in South Korea with the first to be delivered later this year…
Japan Continues to Lead Shipowner Rankings
VesselsValue has unveils this year’s top 10 shipowning nations, reviewing the total asset values for vessels by beneficial owner country. From Japan's resolute leadership in the top position with a USD 206.3 billion fleet to the emergence of Hong Kong at USD 44.7 billion, asset values and ownership strategies have changed considerably over the last 12 months, says Rebecca Galanopoulos-Jones, Senior Content Analyst, Veson Nautical.The data provided by VesselsValue and analysed by Veson is valid as of February 2024.
ZIM Names Trio of LNG Containerships
The naming ceremonies of three new vessels joining ZIM’s fleet were held in Korea and China this week for ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, continuing ZIM’s widescale fleet renovation.The naming ceremony of Zim Mount Elbrus and Zim Mount Vinson, the final additions to the series of ten 15,000 TEUs advanced LNG vessels, took place at the SHI Geoje shipyard in Korea. These vessels, showcasing state-of-the-art LNG technology, were named in a traditional manner by their respective godmothers, Mrs. Hani Kalinsky, ZIM's EVP Pacific Business Unit, and Mrs.
Gulf LNG Tugs to Provide Towage at Texas LNG Terminal in Brownsville
Gulf LNG Tugs of Texas has been selected to provide towage services for the Texas LNG export terminal to be constructed in the Port of Brownsville.Gulf LNG Tugs, a consortium of Suderman & Young Towing Company, Bay-Houston Towing, and Moran Towing Corporation, will build, deliver and operate tugboats under a long term agreement to assist LNG carriers arriving at the facility.Texas LNG will be a 4 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminal owned and managed by Glenfarne Energy Transition.
QatarEnergy Selects Nakilat to Own and Operate 25 LNG Vessels
QatarEnergy has selected Qatar Gas Transport Company Limited (Nakilat) to be the owner and operator of up to 25 conventional-size LNG carriers pursuant to Time Charter Parties (TCP).The 25 vessels, each with a capacity of 174,000 cubic meters, will be owned 100% by Nakilat and chartered out to affiliates of QatarEnergy. They are scheduled for construction at South Korean shipyards.This constitutes the first award in the second batch of long-term TCPs under QatarEnergy’s LNG fleet expansion project.
Panama Canal Does Not Plan Transit Restrictions Before April
The Panama Canal sees no need for further vessel transit restrictions until at least April, when its authority will evaluate water levels at the end of the dry season, Deputy Administrator Ilya Espino told Reuters.A severe drought last year forced the canal to reduce the number of vessels allowed to pass per day. In December, rains in the last quarter of the year allowed the waterway to suspend further restrictions that would have been applied in January.In recent months, attacks to ships at the Red Sea have prompted many vessel owners to take longer routes to and from Asia…
OPINON: Tackling the Houthi Drone Threat with AI
Houthi rebel drone attacks on vessels traversing the Red Sea and Suez Canal route, accounting for 10% of global trade, have exposed the shortcomings of current ship alert systems.The unpredictability and increased frequency of these attacks have created a challenging security environment for ships passing the area via the Bab el Mandeb strait, posing a substantial risk to seafarers and maritime trade by endangering the safety of the crew and cargo.Initially focused on Israel-related ships in solidarity with Hamas…
Qatari LNG Tankers Resume Course Via Red Sea
Four tankers used for shipments of Qatari liquefied natural gas (LNG) have resumed course after pausing for several days amid maritime attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis in the Red Sea, LSEG shiptracking data showed on Tuesday.The Houthi attacks, in what they call a bid to support Palestinians in the war with Israel, have disrupted trade on the main East-West route that makes up about 12% of global shipping traffic.On Monday, the Houthi movement vowed to widen its targets in the Red Sea region to U.S. ships, following U.S.
QatarEnergy Stops Red Sea LNG Shipping Due to Attacks
QatarEnergy, the world's second largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, has stopped sending tankers via the Red Sea although production continues, a senior source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Monday.Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group has since November been attacking vessels in the Red Sea, part of a route that accounts for about 12% of the world's shipping traffic, in what they say is an effort to support Palestinians in the war with Israel.At least four tankers used to carry Qatari LNG were held up over the weekend after U.S.
Capital Product Partners Move Forward with $3.1B Acquisition of 11 LNG Carriers
New York-listed shipowner Capital Product Partners L.P. (CPLP) has closed the umbrella agreement from November 2023, moving forward with the $3.1 billion acquisition of 11 newbuild LNG carrier vessels.CPLP entered into umbrella agreement with Capital Maritime & Trading Corp. and Capital GP on November 13, providing for the acquisition of 11 newbuild liquefied LNG carriers.Upon the closing of the umbrella agreement on Thursday, CPLP entered into 11 share purchase agreements to acquire 100% of the equity interests in each vessel-owning company.Each Vessel will have a capacity of 174…
Some LNG Carriers Avoiding the Red Sea as Attacks Increase
Several liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels have changed their courses in recent days to avoid the Red Sea region amid maritime attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis on the world's main East-West trade route.The Red Sea is linked to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal, creating the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia, and is connected to the Gulf of Aden by the Bab-el-Mandeb strait between Yemen and Djibouti. About 12% of world shipping traffic transits the canal.But attacks in recent days on ships along the route have led companies such as oil major BP…
Shippers Mask Positions, Weigh Options Amid Red Sea Attacks
A number of container ships are anchored in the Red Sea and others have turned off tracking systems as traders adjust routes and prices in response to maritime attacks by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis on the world's main East-West trade route.Attacks in recent days on ships in the major Red Sea shipping route have raised the spectre of another bout of disruption to international commerce following the upheaval of the COVID pandemic, and prompted a U.S.-led international force to patrol waters near Yemen.The Red Sea is linked to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal…
US LNG Exports Through Panama Canal Shrink, Asia-Europe Spreads Widen
The number of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) vessels transiting the Panama Canal to Asia halved in November compared with a year ago as Asia prices for the gas this week traded at their steepest premium to European prices in nearly two years.A severe drought has cut vessel traffic through the canal, increasing costs for shippers that take alternative routes or pay extra fees for auctioned slots in Panama. Further restrictions on canal transits likely will put more cargoes on lengthier routes…
LNG Bunker Barge Clean Everglades Christened
Sturgeon Bay, Wis. shipbuilder Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) held a christening ceremony for recently constructed liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker barge Clean Everglades.The vessel is the sister ship to the LNG barge, Clean Canaveral, which was delivered by FBS two years ago and has made more than 65 successful LNG bunker deliveries. Similar in design and appearance, the articulated tug barge (ATB) will hold 5,500 cubic meters of LNG.“The previous FBS-built LNG barge was delivered on schedule during the global pandemic…
QatarEnergy Orders 17 Ultra-Modern LNG Carriers for $3.9 Billion
Qatari oil and gas company QatarEnergy has ordered 17 "ultra-modern" LNG carriers from South Korea's HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).The deal, signed at a ceremony in Seoul, is valued at 14.2 billion Qatari Riyals (currently around $3,9 billion), and marks the start of the second phase of QatarEnergy's LNG ship acquisition program, which will support its expanding LNG production capacity from the North Field LNG expansion and Golden Pass LNG export projects as well as its long…
Great Lakes Wins Dredging Contract for Port Arthur LNG Project
Houston-based dredging contractor Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation announced it has been awarded a dredging and disposal contract in support of the Port Arthur LNG Phase 1 project.Great Lakes has been contracted by Bechtel Energy, the engineering, construction, and procurement company that’s managing the project in partnership with Sempra Infrastructure. The Port Arthur LNG project is a natural gas liquefaction and export terminal in Southeast Texas with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico.
Shipyard Capacity: A Brake on Decarbonization?
The IMO’s latest crunch meeting in early July may not have aligned global shipping with mid-century targets established in the 2015 Paris Agreement. However, its 2023 Strategy indicates a clear direction of travel. Energy supplies by sea are essential for many countries and therefore ships have a key role in supporting the world’s energy transition – not only on their own account, but at a global level.As world shipping accounts for about 3% of greenhouse gas emissions, its environmental importance attracts wide attention. And plenty of criticism.
Light Structures Inks Deal for Hull Monitoring on 8 LNG Carrier Newbuilds
Light Structures AS was contracted by China Merchants Hoi Tung company to deliver and install Hull Stress Monitoring Systems for eight newbuild LNG carriers. The vessels are owned by two separate consortia for operations in the Middle East and are being built by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding for delivery through 2024 to 2026.Light Structures will provide hull monitoring data to the LNG vessels using the standardized SENSFIB Global system. While essentially a Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) product, SENSFIB Global installations are always configured according to vessel design.
Ardmore Shipping Builds a Better Fleet
Garry Noonan, Director, Innovation, Ardmore Shipping is candid in discussing emerging technologies and their impact on ship fuel and emissions reductions. With a fleet of product and chemical tankers under his guise, Noonan gives insights on technologies that he has seen work, as well as his thoughts on the fuel transition, which he believes won’t become mainstream until we’re well into the 2030s.While Cork, Ireland-based Ardmore Shipping, founded in 2010, is relatively new in shipping circles…
CoolCo to Retrofit Boil-off Reliquefaction Units for Improved CII Performance
HD Hyundai Global Service, a ship service subsidiary of HD Hyundai Group, has announced that it has signed contracts with Cool Company (CoolCo), an owner and operator of LNG vessels, to retrofit five LNG carriers with reliquefaction units.The contract value is approximately US$10 million per vessel.A reliquefaction unit is a device used to re-liquefy the boiled off gas (BOG) generated during the operation of LNG cargo tanks, either returning the gas to the cargo tank or preventing natural evaporation using sub-cooled LNG.
Panama Canal Expects Cargo Slowdown
The amount of cargo passing through the Panama Canal is expected to shrink this fiscal year, the canal’s top authority said on Wednesday, with experts warning lower volumes could hurt Panama’s economy.Canal Administrator Ricaurte Vasquez said the institution forecasts just 500 million tonnes of goods passing through the 50-mile (80-km) trans-oceanic waterway in the 2023 fiscal year, some 10.3 million less than the previous forecast.Vasquez blamed the slowdown in part on Russia’s war in Ukraine…
Zim Sammy Ofer: The First LNG-powered Vessel in ZIM's Fleet
South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard hosted a naming ceremony for the 15,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel vessel Zim Sammy Ofer.The Zim Sammy Ofer is the first of 10 vessel ordered in a long-term chartering agreement between ZIM and Seaspan Corporation. The vessel was named after the late shipping magnate Sammy Ofer, who passed away in 2011. The Neo-Panamax vessel is 366-meters long with a 51-meter beam. The vessel has a max service speed of 22.5 knots, a dual-fuel main engine with output of 46…
Gas Starts to Flow to Freeport LNG Export Plant
Freeport LNG's long-shut liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plant in Texas started receiving pipeline natural gas over the long U.S. Martin Luther King Jr holiday weekend, according to Refinitiv data.U.S. LNG exports have been steadily increasing for years and Freeport, the second biggest U.S. LNG export plant, is one of a number of key facilities for shipments around the world, where demand has soared following Russia's decision to largely cut off piped gas supply to Europe after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.Gas started flowing to Freeport on Jan.