Natural Gas News

French engineering firm GTT said it has received an order from Chinese shipyard Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co. Ltd. for the tank design of a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier.The vessel is expected to be delivered to Chinese shipowner ShenZhen Gas Corporation Ltd. in January 2023.GTT will design the tanks of the vessel which will offer a cargo capacity 79,960 cubic meters and will be fitted with the NO96 L03+  membrane containment system, a technology developed by GTT.

Singapore-based Sembcorp Marine chose Schottel’s azimuthal hybrid drive system SYDRIVE-E to power the world’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) hybrid tug. With this first in a series of 12 vessels, Sembcorp Marine will build the world’s first hybrid LNG-fueled tug fleet that will replace its existing diesel-powered tugs. The vessel is designed by LMG Marin, a wholly owned Sembcorp Marine subsidiary, and a leading naval architecture design house in Bergen, Norway, which provides…

French energy major Total and Siemens Energy have signed a technical collaboration agreement to study sustainable solutions for CO2 emissions reduction. The collaboration will focus on natural gas liquefaction facilities and associated power generation. "Each partner will bring together their best-in-class technologies and combine their know-how to deliver industrial-stage solutions such as combustion of clean hydrogen in gas turbines, competitive all-electrical liquefaction, optimized power generation…

Offshore wind caught a favorable gust with the 2020 election of Joe Biden, and the following breeze from the early 2021 reconfiguration of the U.S. Senate toward Democrats. Though widely touted as a growth engine for maritime businesses (as well as shoreside trades), the latter years of the Trump administration seemed to see delay after delay.The class society DNV has been involved in offshore wind since its outset in the early 1990s, and now has 2,000 energy experts working in its efforts supporting this power source.

Golar LNG said on Monday its chief executive officer Iain Ross has tendered his resignation, and the company will immediately start the process to recruit his successor.The liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipping company said the contractual termination period is six months, though it can be prolonged or reduced upon mutual agreement.Ross joined Golar LNG as CEO in September 2017 after holding various leadership roles at WorleyParsons.

German shipbuilder Meyer Werft held a keel laying ceremony for Disney Wish, the first of three new Triton class ships for Disney Cruise Line.At approximately 144,000 gross tons and 1,250 guest staterooms, the cruise ship will be slightly larger than the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. It will be Disney's first vessel to be powered by cleaner burning liquified natural gas (LNG).The Disney Wish is scheduled to sail its maiden voyage in summer 2022.

The amount of natural gas flowing to U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants fell to a one-month low on Thursday due to planned work at Cheniere Energy Inc's Corpus Christi in Texas, according to analysts and Refinitiv.Traders noted LNG feedgas could fall even further next week when Cameron LNG shuts a liquefaction train at its Louisiana plant for planned work.Cameron LNG said it "has scheduled maintenance on one of the liquefaction trains next week. Normal production levels…

French engineering firm GTT announced on Thursday it has received an order from Korean shipyard Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) to design the tanks for two newbuild very large ethane carriers (VLEC) on behalf of an unnamed Asian shipowner.As part of this order, GTT will design the tanks for the VLECs with a cargo capacity of 98,000 cubic meters. The tanks will be fitted with the GTT Mark III membrane containment system.Due for delivery in the last quarter of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023, the latest generation vessels are designed for multi-gas use—ethane, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), ethylene—while still being able to carry liquefied natural gas (LNG). The VLECs also optimize fuel consumption, reduce the boil-off rate and increase the cargo capacity.

French shipping company CMA CGM said its 23,000-TEU mega ship CMA CGM Jacques Saade has set a new world record for the highest number of full containers loaded on board a single vessel.The ultra-large containership (ULCS)—the world's largest powered by by liquefied natural gas (LNG)—departed the port of Singapore on Thursday carrying 21,433 full (20-foot equivalent units (TEU) on board, besting its previous record of 20,723 set in October.The vessel is currently en-route to Europe on the FAL 1 service…

The Finnish Border Guard is testing bio liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel for a coastguard patrol vessel in an effort to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, thereby lessening the impact on global warming.The 96 meter long vessel Turva is fitted with Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines and has been supported with a Wärtsilä maintenance agreement since its launch in 2014. The Bio LNG fuel is supplied by Gasum, a Finnish state-owned biogas refiner. Bio LNG is a 100%  renewable fuel that can reduce CO2 emissions over its lifecycle by up to 90% compared to conventional fuel.

U.S. oil and gas major Chevron has signed a deal with Japan's Hokkaido Gas Co., Ltd. for the delivery of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Chevron’s global LNG portfolio to Japan's Hokkaido area.Under the agreement, Chevron will supply Hokkaido Gas with about a half million tons of LNG over a period of five years starting April 2022.“We are delighted to design and execute a Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with our new partner Hokkaido Gas that will bring Chevron LNG directly to Hokkaido, a key growth area.

Engineering firm GTT said it has obtained approval in principle (AIP) from testing, inspection and certification group Bureau Veritas for the use of a digital solution for sloshing activity assessment in the Framework of Class Survey in order to optimize the liquefied natural gas (LNG) membrane tank maintenance frequency.GTT said the digital solution is based on its “Sloshing Virtual Sensor” technology, using the tank digital twin, also designed by GTT, and the real-time operational data of the floating units (FSRU2…

As part of his Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad (EO 14008)—issued on the first day he took office—President Biden made significant commitments to renewable energy. These commitments include collaborating with multiple federal agencies in the United States and promoting critical industry support for the acquisition of electric vehicles for the federal fleet, as well as rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement, the landmark international agreement signed in 2015 to limit global warming.

After what has seemed like the longest year ever, the offshore energy sector is emerging from a position of strength, from the standpoint of both economics and sustainability. Between the lockdowns implemented to reduce COVID-19, which reduced energy demand, to the oil price war between state-backed producers, 2020 was an unprecedented storm that hit the American offshore energy market. Now, there are unmistakable signs of a recovery, and policy makers in Washington, D.C. should embrace the opportunity before us to for sustained economic…

A new cruise ship order placed at Meyer Werft this week marks the first since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the German shipbuilder said.The 229-meter, 51,950 GT cruise ship is scheduled for delivery in 2025 to Asuka Cruise, a joint venture between Japanese firms NYK Group and Anchor Ship Partners. It will be fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG).The order is significant for the cruise industry and specifically for the Meyer Group, whose three shipyards in Papenburg and Rostock…

Divers inspected the hull of the Ever Given on Wednesday as the man tasked with investigating how the giant container ship ran aground, choking off international trade through the Suez Canal for almost a week, boarded the vessel.Lead investigator Captain Sayed Sheasha, who boarded the Ever Given on Wednesday afternoon, told Reuters that the investigation would include examining the seaworthiness of the ship and its captain’s actions to help determine the causes.Divers had gone to check the hull of the ship while it is anchored in the Bitter Lakes area…

The technology group Wärtsilä said it has signed long-term maintenance agreements covering five liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers owned and operated by Greece-based Minerva Gas Inc.Included in the scope of the agreements is Wärtsilä’s Expert Insight, a service that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced diagnostics to monitor equipment and systems in real-time, spot anomalies, foresee potential problems, and enable rapid reaction accordingly.The vessels covered are the Minerva Kalymnos…

In Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare coined the phrase “salad days” to mean a youthful time filled with unbridled enthusiasm and idealism. Indeed, youth, much like salad, is often raw, flavorful and most of all… green. Therefore, it is fitting to think of our present time as the salad days of offshore energy in the United States. Let’s dig in.Executive Order appetizersOn January 27, President Biden took early steps to implement his campaign promise to transition the United States away from fossil fuels and invest in renewable energy…

A boat carrying more than 1,000 survivors of a highly organized, deadly attack by Islamic State-linked insurgents in northern Mozambique arrived in the port of Pemba on Thursday, a Reuters reporter and a diplomatic source said.Aid workers were at the crowded port to give food to those disembarking from the green and white ferry, while police and soldiers kept control of crowds of people excited to see their relatives rescued after the attack that began last week in Palma, the reporter said.Islamist insurgents have been increasingly active in the surrounding province of Cabo Delgado since 2017…

U.S. exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to China, Japan, and South Korea, the biggest importers of the fuel, have surged to record highs in recent months as the heavily industrialized region recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, Eikon trade data shows.As with the ramp-up of U.S. oil exports that forced heavyweights like Saudi Arabia to find other buyers, what was dubbed Freedom Gas by the administration of President Donald Trump is also changing global energy flows and quietly gaining a stranglehold on key markets in Asia.Such is the speed of growth of imports into Japan, the U.S.

Germany's coordinator for transatlantic relations called on Wednesday for a moratorium on the construction of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Europe, breaking ranks with many in Chancellor Angela Merkel's government.The United States is opposed to the project, saying it increases Europe's reliance on Russian energy and U.S. President Joe Biden is dangling the threat of sanctions."The project is a serious obstacle for a new start in transatlantic relations…

Turkey's Sanmar Shipyards said it has won contracts worth $33.46 million to supply four new tugs and two new pilot boats for the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) in Pakistan. The tugs are scheduled to be delivered in 12 months and the pilot boats in 10.The contracts were awarded following an international tendering process during which Sanmar championed its new Kocacay range of escort and harbor tugs, based on the exclusive-to-Sanmar RAstar 3200SX design from Canada-based naval architects Robert Allan Ltd.

Container shipping giant MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company doubled down on its position to avoid sending its vessels through the Northern Sea Route and urged others to follow suit, citing environmental concerns.“As a responsible company, this was an obvious decision for us,” said MSC CEO, Soren Toft. “MSC will not seek to cut through the melting ice of the Arctic to find a new route for commercial shipping, and I consider this a position the whole shipping industry must adopt.”Running from Murmansk near Russia’s border with Norway to the Bering Strait near Alaska…