China’s Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering has launched the third 7,600-cbm LNG bunkering vessel it is building for Canada’s Seaspan Energy.
CIMC SOE held the launching ceremony for the LNG bunkering vessel, Seaspan Baker, on July 1, it said in a statement.
The vessel has 112.8 meters in length, 18.6 meters in width, 5 meters in draft, and it also has a design speed of 13 knots.
CIMC SOE won a contract in 2022 to build two 7,600-cbm LNG bunkering vessels for Seaspan.
Besides two firm LNG bunkering ships, the deal also included an option for a third vessel and Seaspan exercised its option for the third vessel which was now launched.
Bonn-based TGE Marine Gas Engineering supplied the cargo handling and fuel gas systems for the three vessels.
Each of the vessels feature two IMO type C cylindrical tanks and an LNG sub-cooling system to facilitate cargo conditioning during transit and anchorage.
Designed by Vard Marine, the bunkering vessels will provide ship-to-ship LNG transfer as well as coastal/short sea shipping operations.
Pacific Northwest, Panama
Seaspan ULC is a group of Canadian companies that are primarily involved in coastal marine, transportation, bunker fueling, ship repair, and shipbuilding services on the West Coast of North America, and Seaspan Energy is part of this group.
Seaspan Energy said in April that the second bunkering vessel, Seaspan Lion, will provide LNG fueling services for vessels on the West Coast of North America.
With this, Seaspan Energy will become the first company to provide LNG bunkering in the Pacific Northwest, the firm claims.
On the other hand, the first vessel in this batch, Seaspan Garibaldi, which was launched on December 27, 2023, will be based in the Panama region.
Seaspan Energy said in a statement issued on July 3 that Seaspan Baker will service the Long Beach container ship market and will join Seaspan Lions in providing LNG fueling services for vessels on the West Coast of North America.
The company expects to take delivery of the first two LNG bunkering vessels later this year, while the third vessel will join the fleet in 2025.
(Updated with a statement by Seaspan on July 3, 2024.)
