PIL’s containership wraps up first LNG bunkering op in China

According to statements by PIL and SSES, the ship-to-ship bunkering operation took place at the Yangshan port in Shanghai on October 26.

During the operation, PIL’s 14,000-teu Kota Eagle received about 8,000 cbm of LNG from the 20,000-cbm bunkering vessel Hai Gang Wei Lai.

Kota Eagle, which is on her maiden voyage, is the first vessel in PIL’s fleet to be powered by LNG.

Following the bunkering, the vessel will sail to Ningbo and depart for Latin America on PIL’s West Coast Central and South America Service 2 route, PIL said.

PIL recently named its first two LNG-powered container vessels, Kota Eagle and Kota Emerald, in a ceremony at China’s Jiangnan.

The vessels are 335 meters long and 51 meters wide.

They feature GTT’s Mark III LNG containment system, an optimized hull form, and variable-frequency drive motors.

In March 2022, PIL ordered four 14,000-teu LNG dual-fuel containerships at Jiangnan with deliveries scheduled in 2024 and 2025.

Moreover, PIL’s nine other LNG dual-fuel containerships on order include four 8,000 teu vessels, and five 13,000 teu vessels.

PIL will take delivery of all of the vessels in the next few years.

More than 128 LNG bunkering operations for SSES

SSES, a unit of China’s terminal operator Shanghai International Port (SIPG) and Shenergy, said in a separate statement it has completed more than 128 bonded LNG bunkering operations in Shanghai since March 2022.

With these refueling operations, SSES has delivered a total of 730,000 cbm of bonded LNG.

The firm completed the first LNG bunkering operation in March 2022 under a deal with Frebch shipping giant CMA CGM.

Earlier this year, SSES reached the 100th bonded LNG bunkering operation in Shanghai.

SSES also completed this year the first bunkering operation to an MSC containership with the large LNG bunkering vessel, Hai Gang Wei Lai.

In April, SIPG also signed a deal with South Korea’s HMM to bunker its vessels with LNG and methanol.

Besides LNG bunkering, SSES previously completed the first green methanol bunkering operation in China.

SSES used what it says is the world’s largest methanol bunkering vessel, Hai Gang Zhi Yuan, to fuel the 16,000-teu Astrid Mærsk.

China’s first methanol bunkering ship has a capacity of 16,000 cbm.