China’s Hudong starts building 2nd LNG bunkering vessel

China’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding has started building the second liquefied natural gas bunkering vessel owned by Japan’s MOL and chartered by Total of France.

MOL’s first LNG bunkering ship, the world’s largest such vessel, was delivered on Thursday.

Both of the vessels will have a capacity of 18,600 cubic meters with a length of about 135 meters.

They feature the Mark III Flex membrane containment system provided by French company GTT.

Hudong-Zhonghua says that the performance of the second LNG bunkering vessel will be upgraded compared to its sister ship.

The LNG-powered vessel will have a 25 per cent higher loading rate and it would need less time to complete a single bunkering operation, according to the Chinese shipyard.

This vessel has been specifically designed to supply LNG bunker in the Mediterranean area to a wide range of vessels, including containerships, tankers, ferries and large cruise ships.

The LNG bunkering ship is scheduled to be delivered in the second part of 2021.

It will be stationed in the Marseille-Fos area in France.