CIMC SOE said on Thursday that it will build an LNG bunkering vessel for a European owner.
The shipbuilder did not reveal the name of the company or the price of the order.
The vessel will have a capacity of 20,000 cbm.
Recent reports by brokers suggested that Belgium’s Somtrans, which owns a fleet of barges, including LNG-powered barges, was in talks to order one LNG bunkering vessel at CIMC SOE.
According to CIMC SOE, the ship will be 160 meters long, 25 meters wide, and will have a design speed of 15.5 knots.
Also, the ship will be equipped with a WinGD dual-fuel main engine and iCER technology.
CIMC SOE added that the vessel is scheduled for delivery in April 2027.
This is CIMC SOE’s fifth order for the same type of vessel.
Before this contract, CIMC SOE clinched an order from Singapore’s Equatorial Marine Fuel Management Services to build one 20,000-cbm vessel in December last year.
This new order from EMF came just two weeks after CIMC SOE announced a contract to build up to two LNG bunkering and supply vessels for compatriot Fuzhou Wuyang Refined Oil Trading.
These LNG bunkering and supply vessels will have a capacity of 12,000 cbm.
Earlier in 2024, Geneva-based energy trader Vitol also ordered two LNG bunkering vessels from CIMC SOE.
CIMC SOE will build for Vitol’s unit Vitol International Shipping one 12,500-cbm and one 20,000-cbm LNG bunkering vessel.
In addition to the order, the trader also signed a seven-year charter deal for one LNG bunkering vessel with UK-based small-scale player Avenir LNG.
CIMC SOE is also building this 20,000-cbm vessel, which will start serving Vitol in the fourth quarter of 2026.
