China’s New Times Shipbuilding has hosted a naming ceremony for one LNG-powered bulk carrier it built for Idan Ofer’s Eastern Pacific Shipping.
The vessel in question is the 210,000-dwt bulk carrier, Mount Tai.
New Times said in a statement that the naming ceremony for the LNG dual-fuel bulk carrier took place on May 4. Ofer also attended the event along officials from New Times.
According to the Chinese yard, it is building in total eleven 210,000-dwt LNG dual-fuel bulk carriers for EPS and this is the fifth vessel in this batch.
New Times expects to deliver the 299.95 meters long Mount Tai by the end of this month.
Last year, EPS took delivery of the 209,000-dwt Mount Tourmaline and the 209,000-dwt, Mount Nova Terra, the first and second LNG-powered Newcastlemax bulk carriers in its fleet.
China’s Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, a part of CSSC, built these two ships which serve Australian miner BHP under long-term charters.
New Times also delivered the 210,000-dwt LNG-powered bulk carrier, Mount Gaea, in November last year and this vessel serves BHP under a charter deal as well.
BHP has chartered in total five LNG-fueled Newcastlemax bulk carriers from EPS, while Rio Tinto took on charter up to six LNG dual-fuelled Newcastlemax vessels.