South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries has handed over the sixth very large ethane carrier to Malaysian shipping firm MISC.
Seri Elbert is the last vessel in a series of six contracted sister VLECs, purpose-built for long-term charter to China’s Zhejiang Satellite Petrochemical (STL).
“These VLECs signify MISC’s entry into China and its position as the largest operator of VLECs in the niche and growing market of moving ethane globally,” the firm said.
All of the vessels will transport ethane from US to China to support STL’s ethane cracker facility.
In addition, MISC’s unit Eaglestar Shipmanagement Gas manages the six carriers.
With more than 98,000 cbm of capacity, the ships have a reliquefaction unit and a high-pressure ethane fuel supply system.
Furthermore, the vessel’s propulsion includes a MAN B&W gas injection ethane engine, complemented with a pump vaporiser unit.
Built with a containment system for dual cargo loading, the ships also feature ABS LNG-ready notation.
This means the VLECs can be upgraded to trade liquefied natural gas cargoes in the future, according to MISC.
The Malaysian shipping firm owned by energy giant Petronas is already one of the largest operators of LNG carriers. The firm operates a fleet of 29 LNG carriers and two floating storage units.