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According to a statement, Posco International held a naming ceremony for the group’s first “LNG-dedicated” carrier, HL Fortune, at South Korea’s HD Hyundai Samho in Mokpo. Fortuna means fortune in Latin.
In May 2023, Posco International signed a long-term deal to charter this 174,000-cbm LNG carrier from compatriot H-Line Shipping.
“Following its delivery on the 27th, the carrier will undergo sea trials and begin global LNG trading operations in the second half of the year,” Posco said.
According to its AIS data provided by VesselsValue, HL Fortuna was located near Posco International’s Gwangyang LNG import terminal on Friday.
Starting in 2026, the vessel will load LNG at Cheniere’s terminal in the US for the purposes of domestic import and overseas trading, Posco said.
The carrier is scheduled to make at least five round trips annually to the Gwangyang LNG terminal, primarily transporting LNG under long-term North American contracts.
In May 2022, Posco International signed a 20-year deal with Cheniere Marketing, a unit of US LNG exporting giant Cheniere, to buy LNG from the Corpus Christi expansion project in Texas.
Under the deal, Cheniere Marketing will supply about 0.4 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG to Posco International on a free-on-board basis, beginning in late 2026.
In addition, Posco International signed a deal in 2024 to buy LNG from Mexico Pacific, the developer of the planned 15 mtpa Saguaro Energia LNG export project.
Under the 20-year SPA, Posco International will offtake 0.7 mtpa of LNG on a FOB basis from Mexico Pacific’s LNG export facility, Saguaro Energia, located in Puerto Libertad, Sonora.
However, Mexico Pacific has not reached a final investment decision (FID) on the project.
“As the Mexico Pacific project progresses, the company will prepare additional dedicated carriers to secure stable transportation,” Posco said.