CESI Wenzhou to serve SINOPEC LNG transport project

The CESI Wenzhou is to sail under a long-term charter contract to transport liquefied natural gas that SINOPEC is purchasing from the Australia Pacific LNG Project, a producer of natural gas sourced from coal.    The CESI Wenzhou, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier ordered by a joint venture that includes China COSCO Shipping Corp. Ltd. (CCSC) and China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (Sinopec), was delivered at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. on Wednesday, shipbuilding partner Mitsui O.S.K Lines (MOL) confirmed.
   The CESI Wenzhou is the fifth vessel to serve the LNG transport project for SINOPEC since an April 2013 announcement of MOL’s participation in the project. The vessel is to sail under a long-term charter contract to transport LNG that SINOPEC is purchasing from the Australia Pacific LNG Project, a producer of natural gas sourced from coal.
   With the construction of the CESI Wenzhou now complete, a total of six LNG carriers have now been built at Hudong for the transport project.
   In cooperation with CCSC, MOL has assigned engineers to Hudong Shipbuilding since 2013 to participate in the construction of LNG carriers, and organized a multi-national shipbuilding supervision team, mainly Japanese and Chinese, with nearly 50 members at its peak.
   “Starting with the delivery of the first vessel in October 2016, the project has proceeded smoothly so far,” MOL said in a prepared statement. “The shipbuilding supervision team and business division are united in ensuring the success of this project, while drawing upon the trusting relationship it has developed with its Chinese partners.”
   In recent years, in step with China’s robust economic growth, demand for LNG has expanded, along with increasing awareness of environmental issues, according to MOL. The transport project has deep roots in China from many aspects, including construction of LNG carriers at Hudong, LNG transport for Sinopec, the country’s major energy projects, and the joint venture involving Sinopec and CCSC – China’s largest shipping company – as well as MOL.
   The project is expected to contribute to increasing demand for LNG, MOL said, as well as help address environmental issues in China.