Spanish shipowner Ibaizabal and French energy giant TotalEnergies have named the first of two 18,600-cbm LNG bunkering vessels at China’s Hudong-Zhonghua.
Hudong-Zhonghua hosted the naming ceremony for the LNG bunkering vessel Monte Shams on Tuesday.
In March last year, Hudong-Zhonghua held a steel-cutting ceremony for the first “V3.0 version” 18,600-cbm LNG bunkering vessel, and launched it earlier this year.
Monte Shams (H1930A) completed its sea trials in August.
The new vessel is 135.9 meters long, 24.5 meters wide, and 16 meters deep.
The owner of the vessel is Ibaizabal and the operator is TotalEnergies.
This new vessel is similar to the 135-meter-long 18,600-cbm LNG bunkering ships, Gas Vitality and Gas Agility, which Hudong-Zhonghua previously built for owner Japan’s MOL and charterer TotalEnergies.
However, this version has “better ship-to-shore compatibility, lower energy consumption and emission, and better energy saving and environmental protection,” Hudong-Zhonghua said.
In addition to this newbuild, Hudong-Zhonghua secured another order to build one 18,600-cbm LNG bunkering vessel for TotalEnergies and Ibaizabal in July last year.
This is the optional vessel under the 1+1 order announced in July 2024.
Hudong-Zhonghua said that Monte Shams is scheduled for delivery later this year and will provide bunkering services to various types of vessels at the Port of Sohar in Oman, playing a key role in the Middle East’s first large-scale LNG bunkering hub.
Monte Shams will serve the TotalEnergies-led Marsa LNG bunkering project in Oman.
Construction of its sister ship, H1931A, began in June of this year, with delivery scheduled for early 2028, Hudong-Zhonghua said.