GAIL announced in a stock exchange filing on Tuesday that it will take on charter the 2023-built 174,000-cbm LNG carrier, Energy Fidelity.
According to GAIL, the charter party agreement was executed with Pantheon Maritime Services Private, a Singapore-based affiliate of Alpha Gas.
S Bairagi, executive director, shipping and international LNG, GAIL, and Anna Angelicoussis, owner of Alpha Gas, signed the agreement at the Alpha Gas’ headquarters in Athens.
GAIL did not provide further details regarding the charter agreement.
“The charter party agreement marks a key milestone for GAIL under the
‘Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047’, further strengthening India’s maritime infrastructure and
energy supply chain capabilities,” the firm said.
In January this year, GAIL also signed a long-term deal with Japan’s MOL to charter one LNG carrier.
The vessel in question is the 180,000-cbm GAIL Bhuwan, built in 2021.
GAIL signed the charter agreement with LNG Japonica Shipping, a joint venture between MOL (74 percent) and GAIL (26 percent).
The company has a fleet of chartered LNG carrirers and is a shareholder in India’s largest LNG importer Petronet LNG, along with three other major Indian firms, ONGC, IOCL, and BPCL.
Petronet issued a force majeure notice on March 3 to its offtakers, including its shareholder GAIL, after it received a notice from state-owned LNG giant QatarEnergy, which stopped production at its giant Ras Laffan LNG plant due to attacks.
Last month, the Indian government invoked emergency measures, prioritizing gas allocation to essential sectors amid the disruption of LNG shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Alpha Gas’ fleet
In January this year, Alpha Gas announced that it had placed an order for two LNG carriers, which will feature the latest energy‑efficient technologies.
Alpha Gas said the vessels will be built in South Korea and are scheduled to be delivered in 2029.
“This strategic fleet expansion underscores our continued confidence in the long‑term growth of the global LNG market and reinforces Alpha Gas’ position as a committed and forward‑looking player in the sector,” Alpha Gas said.
Including this order, Alpha Gas now has ten LNG carriers in its fleet.
In 2024, South Korea’s HD Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries delivered the 174,000-cbm LNG carrier, Energy Fortitude, to Alpha Gas.
With this, Alpha Gas took delivery of all three XDF LNG carriers, including Energy Fidelity, from HSHI during 2023-2024.
In addition to LNG carriers, Alpha Gas has four VLGC/VLAC carriers on order with Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy, scheduled for delivery in 2026 and 2027.
