A unit of Russian gas giant Gazprom will soon take delivery of two newbuild LNG vessels owned by Greece’s Alpha Gas.
Gazprom Marketing & Trading expects the 173,400-cbm Energy Integrity and its sister vessel Energy Intelligence to join its chartered fleet in early summer, according to a statement released on Tuesday.
South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering already delivered Energy Integrity on May 14, while the yard should hand over the second vessel towards the end of June.
“Both vessels will be placed within our global LNG portfolio, to ensure we consistently maintain our structured supply dynamics,” GM&T said, but it did not reveal any additional information on the charter contract.
The vessels feature MAN B&W ME-GI engines, a reliquefication system, and GTT’s NO96 cargo containment system.
GM&T says modern insulation techniques used in these vessels would help slash boil-off by around 40%. They would also consume around 20% less fuel for the same voyage than a conventional TFDE-type LNG carrier, the firm said.
This would result in fewer emissions per mile, and more LNG for Gazprom’s customers, GM&T said.
Gazprom’s LNG sales on the rise
Gazprom’s LNG sales doubled last year as it continued to expand into new markets.
Large-scale LNG sales from Gazprom’s trading portfolio totaled 7.44 million tonnes or 10.92 bcm. This compares to 3.78 million tonnes or 5.04 bcm in 2019.
Furthermore, Gazprom said the Asia-Pacific region accounted for 49 percent of the 2020 LNG sales, followed by Europe with 37 percent.
Country-wise, India was the largest buyer of Gazprom’s LNG last year, importing a total of 1.84 million tonnes.
Also, the geography of LNG shipments has expanded and included 14 countries, out of which five of them received Gazprom’s LNG for the first time.
These countries include Belgium, France, Greece, the Netherlands, and Singapore, according to Gazprom.
