Type Carrier News

Dutch shipowner and operator Royal Wagenborg has ordered a second EasyMax type carrier from compatriot shipbuilder Royal Niestern Sander.Royal Niestern Sander confirmed that it had received an order from Wagenborg for the construction of a sister vessel of the Egbert Wagenborg. The yard will soon start the construction of the second ship of this EasyMax type.This announcement was made during the christening ceremony of the electric inspection vessel PW-18 that Niestern Sander is building for the Province of Groningen.This first electric inspection vessel was christened today by Mrs. Fleur Gräper-Van Koolwijk, representative of the Province of Groningen.

Fendercare Marine provided STS support services for the first open sea’s Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) STS operations for two of the world’s leading Gas Majors. The LNG STS operations were performed in the Eastern Mediterranean with a number of 152,000 cm3 membrane tank Liquefied Natural Gas Carriers (LNGC), and most recently a 135,000 cm3 moss type carrier; all delivering cargo to one of Excelerate Energy’s 138,000 cm3 Floating Storage & Regasification Unit (FSRU). These were the first open sea LNG STS operations for either major.

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. signed a long-term contract for two new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers with Kansai Electric Power Inc. (President: Makoto Yagi). At the same time, MOL concluded contracts to build the ships Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (President: Satoshi Hasegawa) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (President: Hideaki Omiya). The ships are slated for launching in 2016 and 2017. MOL will manage and operate the vessels, with which transport LNG for Kansai Electric Power. The first vessel is a Moss-type carrier with a 164,700m3 cargo tank capacity, based on a new design from Kawasaki Heavy Industries. It will be the largest ship in its class that can pass through the expanded Panama Canal which is scheduled for completion in 2014…

Odfjell's 49% owned joint venture company Odfjell Dong Zhan Shipping (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, has signed a contract for the building of a 8 200 dwt chemical tanker. The ship is a fully coated IMO II type carrier that will be built in China by Zhoushan Penglai Shipbuilding and Repairing Co. The construction of the ship has already started, and delivery is scheduled for late November 2008. Odfjell will be directly involved in the building process and inspection at the building site. The ship will join Bao Hai Tun (3 845 dwt/ built 2006)and service the domestic market in China.

The gas and power division of Royal Dutch/Shell ordered two additional liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers to support its growing global LNG business. Shell International Gas Limited ordered a membrane-type carrier from South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and a moss spherical tank carrier from Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Shell did not disclose the price for the orders, but industry sources said the market level for a typical LNG carrier was around $175 million. The two new vessels have been secured against the background of a growing portfolio of Shell LNG projects around the world which require shipping capacity and will help supply growing demand for LNG.

While seemingly miniscule in terms of deadweight tons ordered and delivered per year as compared to the shipbuilding business as a whole, the production of gas tankers, LNG and LPG, are high-value, high prestige orders that are likely to rise significantly in the coming years. Consistently high oil prices have effectively forced the production and processing of gas, and the current trend is towards increased usage of this valuable commodity. Late last month, the gas and power division of Royal Dutch/Shell ordered two additional liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers to support its growing global LNG business. Shell International Gas Limited…

South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering is set to graduate this week from a creditors' debt rescheduling plan, a move that will shore up credit ratings for the world's second-largest shipbuilder. An early end to the plan was widely anticipated as the shipyard has shown a dramatic turnaround with a flood of new orders, creditors said on Monday. "The company's earnings performance has improved dramatically," said Yang Moon-suk, a spokesman for Korea Development Bank, the main creditor for the shipbuilder. "Working-level officials of creditors have already agreed that Daewoo Shipbuilding is now able to stand on its own and an announcement is due by Friday," he added.

South Korean shipyards are expected to win about 75 percent of an estimated 48 orders for liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers this year, industry officials said on Wednesday. "There are virtually no rivals to compete with Korean shipbuilders in making LNG carriers in terms of price and quality," said Yoo Jae-won, a spokesman for the Korea Shipbuilders' Association. Surging demand for environmentally friendly LNG was expected to raise the number of LNG carrier orders to around 48 this year from only 14 last year. "Korean shipbuilders are poised and look likely to grab most of the orders," Yoo said. Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, the world's second-ranked yard, said its LNG orders totalled 10 ships worth $1.7 billion so far this year, with options for 12 more.