TotalEnergies said that France’s first LNG bunkering vessel, Gas Vitality, has arrived in Marseille after a long trip from China.
“After traveling over 1.5 months, she reached Grand Port Maritime de Marseille – Port de Marseille Fos on Sunday, 19th December, pre-dawn,” according to a unit of TotalEnergies.
The 135 meters long Gas Vitality will be stationed in the Marseille-Fos area to serve the Mediterranean region.
This is the first LNG bunkering vessel to be based in France.
Also, the Bureau Veritas-classed vessel will fuel CMA CGM’s containerships and MSC Cruises’ upcoming LNG-powered cruise ships that call at the French port.
V.Ships France will operate the vessel under the French flag.
World’s largest LNG bunkering ships
Chinese shipbuilder Hudong-Zhonghua held a naming ceremony for this second LNG bunkering vessel owned by Japan’s MOL and chartered by TotalEnergies in October.
Hudong delivered the ship five days later to MOL’s unit Emerald Blue Maritime and TotalEnergies.
The 18,600-cbm Gas Vitality has similar specifications as its sister ship, Gas Agility, which already works for TotalEnergies from the Dutch port of Rotterdam.
MOL and TotalEnergies claim these are the world’s largest LNG bunkering vessels.
Both of the LNG bunkering ships feature GTT’s Mark III Flex membrane containment system and Wartsila’s dual-fuel propulsion.
In addition, Gas Vitality features enhanced equipment boosting its bunkering efficiency and flexibility to supply LNG to a wide range of vessels across various segments and sizes, according to TotalEnergies.
These include an additional bow thruster, upgraded cargo pumps and high duty compressors, as well as a pressure reduction system to optimize bunkering operations of Type C tank vessels under all conditions.