Singapore bunker tanker owner and operator Sinanju Tankers has signed a ship management collaboration agreement with Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker vessel.
As part of a S$175m ($129m) contract, Sinanju will operate the 12,000m³ GTT Mark III Flex membrane LNG bunker vessel being built by Sembcorp Marine at its Singapore shipyard.
The 112m-long and 22m-wide LNG bunker vessel will be built for MOL’s subsidiary Indah Singa Maritime.
The vessel’s membrane tanks will be fabricated by Sembcorp under a licensing agreement with French LNG containment specialist GTT.
Sinanju managing director Ju Kai Meng said: “We are delighted to partner with MOL to promote the development of infrastructure and competencies in LNG fuel deliveries for Singapore.
“MOL’s expertise in LNG and our strong foundation in fuel oil bunkering augurs well for a successful collaboration in meeting the growing demand for LNG as a marine fuel.”
The dual-fuel bunker vessel is slated for delivery in early 2021 and will be used at the Port of Singapore for ship-to-ship LNG bunker deliveries.
As part of an agreement, Pavilion Energy and Total Marine Fuels Global Solutions will co-share the use of the tanker that will be chartered by Pavilion Energy’s wholly owned subsidiary Pavilion Gas.
Meng further added: “While Singapore has entrenched itself as the world’s largest bunkering port, our foray into LNG bunkering is still in its early stages. Sinanju is committed to extending our unstinting support towards developing Singapore as a leading LNG bunkering hub as we have in the marine fuel oils sector.”
In April, Sinanju placed an order to build Singapore’s first LNG-powered conventional bunker tanker.
The 7,990 dwt vessel will be mainly powered by LNG to deliver marine fuels to ocean-going vessels.
