CIMC SOE bags order for 2+2 LPG/ammonia carriers

Chinese shipbuilder Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering (CIMC SOE) has received an order for two plus two 40,000 cbm liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)/ammonia carriers.

The vessels are expected to be delivered to an unnamed ‘European shipowner’ in 2028, the Chinese builder said announcing the four-ship order on March 20.

Although CIMC SOE did not disclose the shipowner behind the new order, data provided by VesselsValue shows that the company in question is Greece-based Capital Gas. In mid-March, the Greek company contracted the shipyard for two firm and two optional 40,000 cbm LPG/ammonia carriers. Each ship in this en-block transaction is valued at $66 million.

According to CIMC SOE, the ship type ordered this time is the same as the four 40,000 cbm LPG/ammonia carriers being built by the Chinese shipbuilder.

The four mid-sized units, slated for delivery in 2025 and 2026, were ordered by Norwegian shipping company Avance Gas last year.

The vessels will feature a length of 180 meters, a width of 29.8 meters, a design draft of 10 meters and a design speed of 16 knots.

As a new generation of medium-sized LPG carriers, the ship type uses LPG dual-fuel propulsion and is equipped with MAN’s high-pressure LPG dual-fuel main engine which is said to effectively reduce operational pollution emissions and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

In addition, the ship is equipped with three IMO Type A cargo tanks, which saves tank capacity and improves the economic performance of the ship.

The CIMC SOE’s 40,000 cbm LPG/ammonia carrier can also carry a variety of liquefied gas cargoes such as LPG, liquid ammonia, and vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) to meet diverse transportation needs.

“In recent years, the shipbuilding industry has maintained a good momentum of development, and the green transformation of ships has also accelerated across the board. CIMC Pacific Offshore will continue to deepen its efforts to build a full spectrum of the medium-sized liquefied gas ship construction capabilities to provide customers with high-quality green ships and contribute to the low-carbon, sustainable and high-quality development of the global shipping industry,” Gao Wenbao, Vice President of CIMC Enric and General Manager of CIMC SOE, commented.