TotalEnergies has signed a charter contract with Spanish shipowner Ibaizabal for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker vessel of 18,600m3 capacity.
Liquefied natural gas bunker vessel
This new vessel will expand the company’s presence in bunkering hubs. In particular, it might be deployed in Oman, where the company is developing the Marsa LNG project with the objective of providing LNG to the shipping sector in the Gulf.
The vessel, owned by Ibaizabal, will supply LNG to a wide range of vessels (containerships, tankers, large cruise ships, ferries) at TotalEnergies’ LNG bunkering hubs and meet the highest technical and environmental standards.
This new vessel, currently being constructed by Hudong–Zhonghua Shipbuilding in China, will be delivered by the end of 2026 and will join TotalEnergies’ current fleet of three deployed LNG bunker vessels: the Gas Agility, which has been positioned in the Port of Rotterdam; the Gas Vitality, operated in the Port of Marseille; and the Brassavola, located in the Port of Singapore.
Deployment plans
“We are very proud of this agreement with Ibaizabal, which reinforces our position as a main player in LNG bunkering,” said Louise Tricoire, TotalEnergies‘ senior vice president of aviation and marine fuels. “With new LNG-fuelled vessels coming on stream at a rapid pace, we are committed to playing our part in responding to the sector’s increasing demand for this fuel which can help global shipping meet its decarbonization ambitions.”
Jorge Zickermann, CEO of Ibaizabal Group, said, “Ibaizabal is honoured to be chosen to carry out this project as it falls within our strategy of decarbonizing the maritime industry, together with a leading company in the LNG field, while enhancing the already long-term relationship in shipping with TotalEnergies.”
In related news, TotalEnergies Marine Fuels recently completed its first biofuel bunkering trials in France. Click here to read the full story.