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Gasum announced the order in a statement on Monday, but it did not reveal the price tag of the vessel.
The LNG bunkering newbuild will be owned by a joint venture between Gasum and Sirius.
It will serve Gasum’s customers under a charter deal starting in 2027.
Sirus said in a separate statement the vessel will have a capacity of 7,500 cbm and will feature a hybrid battery.
It will be 112.9 meters long and 19 meters wide, with a draft of 6 meters.
Sirius and Gasum have a long history together, as Gasum has been the charterer of the bunker vessel Coralius since 2017 and Sirius has been managing Gasum’s bunkering vessel Seagas since 2012.
Experience gathered by both Gasum and Sirius as well as the crew of Coralius during the last eight years and nearly 1,000 bunkering operations has been “vital” in designing an updated version of the new bunkering vessel.
This has led to, for example, better fuel efficiency, improved tank insulation, larger cargo capacity, and improved fender handling for safety and efficiency, Gasum said.
The vessel will further be equipped with a high-performance gas combustion unit (GCU) of 27.7 MW capable of performing customer vessel cool-down operations at “record” speeds, it said.
LNG fuel demand rising
Gasum said the investment is part of its strategy to secure the availability of LNG and bio-LNG to its customers in the Northwestern European area as demand increases in the coming years.
The number of LNG-powered dual-fuel vessels calling at ports in Northwestern Europe is growing “significantly,” the company added.
Gasum’s fleet currently includes five chartered vessels.
The Finnish firm is significantly boosting its production of bio-LNG to supply it to its customers in the maritime sector and in the heavy-duty road transport sector.
Gasum’s strategic goal is to bring 7 TWh of biogas yearly to the market by 2027.