MOL, Total Pen Deal on LNG Bunker Vessel for CMA CGM’s Giants

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) and Total Marine Fuels Global Solutions (TMFGS) have signed a long-term charter contract for a large LNG bunker vessel of 18,600 cbm.

The vessel will be built by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in China and is scheduled for delivery in 2020. It will be fitted with the Mark III membrane containment system provided by the French company GTT.

The bunker vessel will operate in Northern Europe and will be the first ever capable of supplying large quantities of LNG in one single bunkering operation, Total said.

It will be used in particular to supply CMA CGM’s new LNG mega containerships, in line with the 10-year contract of 300 kt per annum signed with TMFGS in December 2017.

With this vessel, TMFGS intends to serve the emerging marine LNG market for the containership segment, including those sailing on the Europe-Asia trade.

Featuring a length of about 135 meters, the vessel will be highly-maneuverable and will meet the highest environmental standards through the use of LNG as fuel and a complete reliquefaction of the boil-off gas.

Total’s first LNG bunker vessel will be managed by MOL (Europe Africa), a UK subsidiary of MOL.

“MOL’s track record in LNG shipping already includes major achievements with Total. Combined with our strong historical activity in the bunker industry and our global footprint in LNG, this pioneering agreement offers a major contribution to the development of LNG as a marine fuel and illustrates Total’s strong commitment towards the use of this new fuel,” Olivier Jouny, Managing Director of TMFGS, said.

“ This is a key milestone for MOL and also a stepping stone to further enhancement of the two companies’ relationship of not only in conventional fuels but also LNG as a marine fuel. We are confident that our joint technical and operational expertise will contribute positively to this new business development,” Takeshi Hashimoto, MOL Senior Managing Executive Officer, Energy Transport Business Unit, said.

To remind, ahead of 2020 IMO sulfur regulations, the two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to combine their expertise in the development of marine LNG infrastructure and serve MOL’s future LNG needs.

Image Courtesy: Total