A unit of SM Group’s Korea Line has named the first liquefied natural gas carrier it chartered to LNG giant Shell.
South Korea’s shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries and Korea Line LNG held the naming ceremony for the 174,000-cbm LNG carrier, SM Albatross, on August 19, according to a statement by SM Group.
By September next year, four Korea Line’s newbuild 174,000-class LNG carriers would start serving Shell under charter contracts worth about $613 million, it said.
Besides these LNG carriers, Shell also chartered the 18,000-cbm LNG bunkering vessel, K. Lotus, from Korea Line.
South Korea’s Hyundai Mipo Dockyard delivered this large LNG bunkering newbuild in March this year.
To remind, Shell signed charter deals for eight 174,000-cbm LNG carriers in December 2019, six in August 2020, four in December 2020, and six in July 2021.
They will all feature dual-fuel X-DF engines, boil-off management plants, air lubrication systems and shaft generators for auxiliary power, along with optimized hull and design speed.
