AET accepts delivery of 1st Shell-chartered DP2 shuttle tanker

AET, a petroleum logistics unit of Malaysian energy logistics group MISC Berhad, has taken delivery of Eagle Pilar, a new Suezmax second-generation dynamic positioning (DP2) shuttle tanker built at Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) shipyard in South Korea.

The 153,180 dwt newbuild has been purpose built for a long-term charter to Brazil Shipping I Limited, a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell plc. In 2018 and 2019, AET won a total of four long-term charter contracts for DP shuttle tankers from Brazil Shipping I Limited.

“Today’s delivery of Eagle Pilar marks our first dynamic positioning (DP2) shuttle tanker to operate on long-term charter to Shell completing an agreement we reached two years ago,” Rajalingam Subramanian, AET President & CEO, commented.

“Following the delivery of Eagle Pilar, AET has another three new DP2 shuttle tankers to be delivered in 2021 and 2022 to Shell.”

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the vessel was timely delivered by SHI with all extra health and safety precautions taken by AET and the Eaglestar site teams working closely together with the SHI team to safeguard the ongoing construction and delivery, the company said.

The tanker was built in collaboration with classification society DNV GL and MISC unit Eaglestar and is operating to the highest operational and environmental standards, including full compliance with IMO NOx Tier 3 and SOx emission requirements, according to AET.

According to Subramanian, the collaboration showed what can be accomplished when everyone in the industry works together to deliver “innovative and sustainable solutions” while contributing to a low carbon future by reducing CO2 emissions on assets engaged in meeting global energy needs.

 By design, Eagle Pilar is said to be approximately 25 to 30 percent more fuel efficient than the DPSTs built in the early part of the last decade. In addition, the vessel is installed with a ballast water treatment system (BWTS), equipped with electrical driven cargo pumps for enhanced fuel efficiency, high-power thrusters and the latest position reference system fully capable of operating in harsh weather conditions.

Eagle Pilar is expected to be delivered to Shell later this month and upon its arrival in Brazil will start operating in the Brazilian Basin joining AET’s six other dynamic positioning shuttle tankers (DPSTs) already operating there for Petrobras.

This will bring AET’s DPST fleet in Brazil to seven, with six more DP2 shuttle tankers scheduled to be delivered in 2021-2022.

Globally, AET has 11 DPSTs, seven in the Brazilian Basin and four in the North and Norwegian Sea of which two are among the world’s first LNG dual-fuel DP2 shuttle tankers with VOC functionality.