The world’s largest LNG bunkering vessel, Hai Gang Wei Lai, continues with bunkering operations in China’s Yangshan port and this time it has delivered the fuel to CMA CGM Patagonia, according to Shanghai SIPG Energy Service.
On May 6, the 20,000-cbm bunkering and supply ship, previously known as Avenir Allegiance, delivered about 7,072 cbm of LNG to the 2021-built containership CMA CGM Patagonia, SSES said in a statement.
During the LNG bunkering operation which lasted about 14 hours, the container vessel also simultaneously completed loading and unloading of containers.
Unlike previous two vessels, CMA CGM Symi and CMA CGM Liberty, which CMA CGM charters from Singapore’s Eastern Pacific Shipping, this containership is owned by the French shipping giant.
China’s Jiangnan delivered this 15,000-teu vessel, first out of five, to CMA CGM in September last year.
All of these five ships will sail under the French flag between Asia and the Mediterranean, serving CMA CGM’s Mediterranean Club Express (MEX) route.
SSES, a new unit of China’s terminal operator Shanghai International Port (SIPG) and Shenergy, said this marked another bunkering operation following the completion of the milestone delivery in March.
This operation also took place at a time when Shanghai is under lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
SIPG and CMA CGM signed a 10-year bunkering deal in January under which SIPG will fuel CMA CGM’s 15,000-teu vessels with the new LNG bunkering vessel in Yangshan port.
The vessel loads LNG at Shenergy’s Yangshan LNG terminal for onward distribution to CMA CGM’s vessels.
SSES is in charge for the LNG bunkering operations and the firm also bought the large bunkering vessel from London-based Avenir.