China’s Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering has handed over the second LNG bunkering vessel to Canada’s Seaspan Energy.
CIMC SOE announced on Wednesday the delivery of the 7,600-cbm LNG bunkering vessel, Seaspan Lions.
Like its sister vessel, Seaspan Garibaldi, which CIMC SOE delivered in August, the newbuild is 112.8 meters long, 18.6 meters wide, 5 meters deep, and has a design speed of 13 knots.
The Chinese shipbuilder launched this LNG bunkering ship in April this year.
Also, it is the second of three Seaspan’s LNG bunkering vessels scheduled for delivery by the end of this year.
CIMC SOE won a contract in 2022 to build two 7,600-cbm LNG bunkering vessels for Seaspan, after which the latter exercised its option for the third vessel.
Each vessel features two IMO-type C cylindrical tanks and an LNG sub-cooling system to facilitate cargo conditioning during transit and anchorage.
Designed by Vard Marine, the bunkering vessels will provide ship-to-ship LNG transfer and coastal/short-sea shipping operations.
West Coast of North America
Seaspan ULC is a group of Canadian companies primarily involved in coastal marine, transportation, bunker fueling, ship repair, and shipbuilding services on the West Coast of North America. Seaspan Energy is part of this group.
As part of its deal with AES, the first vessel Seaspan Garibaldi will work in the Panama region.
Seaspan signed a memorandum of understanding with US energy firm AES in October last year to provide LNG as fuel for vessels from the Costa Norte LNG terminal in Panama.
According to its AIS data, Seaspan Garibaldi was on Thursday located in Nanaimo, Canada.
Seaspan recently said the vessel will take its first cargo and finalize commissioning in Vancouver before its first ship-to-ship bunkering in Long Beach, where Seaspan will provide simultaneous operations to bunker a series of vessels.
Following its first bunkering, Seaspan Garibaldi will continue to provide LNG to vessels on the West Coast of North America and will soon be joined by Seaspan’s second LNG bunkering vessel, Seaspan Lions, it said.
Seaspan Energy said in April that Seaspan Lions will provide LNG fueling services for vessels on the West Coast of North America.
The firm claims that this will make Seaspan Energy the first company to provide LNG bunkering in the Pacific Northwest.
According to the firm, the third vessel, Seaspan Baker, will service the Long Beach containership market and join Seaspan Lions in providing LNG fueling services for vessels on the West Coast of North America.
