New York-listed Capital Product Partners on Monday said it has welcomed former Inpex general manager for LNG business development and marketing, Atsunori Kozuki, to its board.
According to a statement by CPLP, the company’s general partner Capital GP has appointed Kozuki to act as a member of the board of directors of the partnership appointed by the general partner, effective October 2.
Kozuki served as principal project developer and previously as general manager for Japan’s Inpex, in charge of LNG business development and marketing.
He has more than 34 years of experience in LNG business development, including shipping, the statement said.
This new appointment comes at a time when CPLP is expanding its LNG shipping business.
Earlier this year, CPLP took delivery of its seventh liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier in South Korea.
South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries handed over the 174,000-cbm LNG carrier, Asterix I, during a ceremony on February 16.
Capital Product Partners purchased this LNG carrier in June last year from Evangelos Marinakis-led Capital Maritime & Trading Corp, boosting its fleet to seven LNG tankers.
Such as the first six LNG carriers which joined CPLP in 2021, Capital Gas, also owned by Evangelos Marinakis, manages the new LNG carrier as well.
Besides these seven LNG carriers, Capital Gas has nine more vessels on order in South Korea and they will all feature ME-GA propulsion, according to the company’s website.
The company expects to take delivery of two of these LNG carriers this year, three in 2024, and four in 2026.