Bureau Veritas to assess condition of Nakilat LNGC fleet

Qatari LNG shipping operator Nakilat has awarded a three-year contract to Bureau Veritas (BV) to carry out Condition Assessment Programmes (CAP) for its LNG carrier fleet.

BV Solutions Marine & Offshore, a unit of BV, tests, inspects, and certifies marine and offshore components.

The new contract will start this year and will cover 21 of Nakilat’s LNG vessels. All of them will be close to 15 years old (3rd Special Survey) at the time of the CAP survey. All CAP surveys will coincide with Nakilat’s routine dry-docking processes in Qatar.

BV says it has been at the forefront in supporting innovation in risk management and the evolution of seaborne LNG. It developed a specific methodology to assess the condition of LNG carriers with both Moss type and membrane containment.

The contract builds on a successful 2021 for BV M&O, performing more than 100 CAP surveys worldwide. Of those, about 20 per cent were for LNGCs.

Paul Shrieve, president of BV Solutions M&O, said the CAP methodology builds on more than 20 years of experience. International oil majors, cargo owners, and charterers also recognized the methodology, he added.

“Because of this, we are able to ensure our clients’ vessels comply with vetting requirements while also making them as commercial as possible.”

“A lot of that work has been built on good relationships, and we are excited by the prospect of working with Nakilat on this project. It is particularly pleasing that we will be assessing the quality of vessels based on their current condition rather than age, this shows the forward-looking nature of Nakilat, and we are looking forward to work getting underway.”