Nakilat has taken delivery of a newly-built LNG (liquefied natural gas) carrier, “Global Energy”, which will be commercially and technically managed in-house. Built by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME), this is the first of four LNG carrier new-builds to be delivered to Global Shipping, a joint venture of Nakilat (60%) and Maran Ventures (40%). The delivery of all four new-build LNG carriers by end-2021 would bring Nakilat’s fleet to 74 vessels, which is about 12% of the current global LNG fleet in carrying capacity.
“We are committed to grow our fleet in a sustainable manner to meet the rising demand for clean energy transport globally. The addition of this technologically-advanced new-build to our fleet not only gives us a competitive edge, but also allows us to provide additional capacity and flexibility to our customers, which is important in a dynamic marketplace,” said Nakilat chief executive Abdullah al-Sulaiti.
The steady expansion of the fleet through the acquisition of these four new-builds and the second phase fleet transition that has already commenced, comes as part of its efforts to maximise returns for the shareholders and strengthen its position as the leading transporter of clean energy, he said. Constructed in South Korea, the four modern vessels each have a cargo carrying capacity of 173,400 cubic metres, equipped with some of the most advanced technology in the market today, with two of them being equipped with ‘ME-GI’ while the other two with ‘X-DF’ propulsion technologies.
“Nakilat has been a strategic partner for many years and we are pleased to be taking delivery of this first LNG vessel under our new Global Shipping joint venture,” said Maran Ventures chairman John Angelicoussis.