MOL, Total Marine Fuels ink charter contract for LNG bunker vessel

The vessel is scheduled for delviery in 2020 and will be the first ever capable of supplying large quantities of liquefied natural gas in one single bunkering operation.    Japanese ocean carrier Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and bunkering services provider Total Marine Fuels Global Solutions (TMFGS) have signed a long-term charter contract for a large liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker vessel of 18,600 cubic meters, the companies announced Monday.
   The vessel, which is scheduled to be delivered in 2020, will operate in Northern Europe and will be the first ever capable of supplying large quantities of LNG in one single bunkering operation.
   TMFGS has said it intends to use the vessel to serve the emerging marine LNG market for container shipping, notably for containerships on the Europe-Asia trade.
   In particular, there are plans for it to supply LNG for CMA CGM’s newbuild LNG mega containerships, following a 10-year contract signed back in December.
   “This is a key milestone for MOL and also a stepping stone to further enhancement of the two companies’ relationship of not only in conventional fuels but also LNG as a marine fuel,” MOL Senior Managing Executive Officer Takeshi Hashimoto said. “We are confident that our joint technical and operational expertise will contribute positively to this new business development.”
   China’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding has been contracted to build the bunker vessel, which has a designed length of 135 meters (about 443 feet). The newbuild will be managed by MOL (Europe Africa) Ltd, a UK subsidiary of MOL.
   “This agreement is a significant milestone in the cooperation between MOL and Total Marine Fuels Global Solutions, with developments in both conventional fuels and LNG ahead of 2020 IMO sulphur regulations,” the companies said in a joint statement.
   In addition to partnering on the LNG vessel, MOL and Total said they have signed an agreement to combine their knowledge in the development of marine LNG infrastructures and to serve MOL’s future LNG needs.
   “Combined with our strong historical activity in the bunker industry and our global footprint in LNG, this pioneer agreement offers a major contribution to the development of LNG as a marine fuel and illustrates Total’s strong commitment towards the use of this new fuel,” TMFGS Managing Director Olivier Jouny said. “We are very proud to partner with MOL for our first LNG bunker vessel.”