Chinese shipbuilder Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering has secured a contract from Scale Gas, a unit of Spain’s Enagas, to build one liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel.
CIMC SOE, a part of CIMC Enric, said in a statement on Thursday it recently signed the shipbuilding contract with Scale Gas to build the LNG bunkering vessel.
According to the shipbuilder, the bunkering ship will have a capacity of 12,500 cbm and an electric propulsion.
CIMC SOE will conduct the concept design and production design of the vessel in-house.
The shipbuilder did not reveal the delivery date for the vessel or the price tag of the contract.
Sources told LNG Prime that this vessel will work in the Canary Islands.
Last year, Enagas said it received funding from the Spanish government to build a bunkering vessel for the supply of LNG and bio-LNG in the Canary Islands.
The firm said at the time the vessel will have a capacity of 12,500 cbm and that Scale Gas plans to start construction of the vessel from June 2023 and to put it into operation for use by shippers from June 2025.
Scale Gas
CIMC SOE noted in the statement that Scale Gas currently has two LNG bunkering vessels in its fleet, and it also operates one small-scale LNG terminal and more than 20 CNG/LNG and H2 fueling stations.
Marine fuel supplier Peninsula recently started delivering LNG as fuel to vessels in Gibraltar with the 12,500-cbm Levante LNG.
South Korea’s Hyundai Mipo built this vessel for Scale Gas and Peninsula for about $60 million.
In addition, Knutsen, Enagas, and Shell earlier this year officially launched the 5,000-cbm LNG bunkering ship, Haugesund Knutsen, in the Spanish port of Barcelona.
Spain’s Armon Gijon built this LNG bunkering vessel for Knutsen and Scale Gas and this ship serves a charter with Shell.