Hyundai Glovis welcomes first LNG carrier to its fleet

Hyundai Glovis, the logistics unit of South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Group, has entered the liquefied natural gas (LNG) transportation industry thanks to the delivery of its first LNG carrier, which was overseen by ship management and marine services solutions company Northern Marine.

The class dual-fuel LNG carrier was named Woodside Scarlet Ibis, after the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago, at a ceremony held at HD Hyundai Samho’s shipyard in South Korea in late June. The 292-meter-long vessel can hold 174,000 cbm of liquefied gas, which the Korean firm says is half of the country’s daily LNG consumption.

The vessel is now under the management of Northern Marine, while its subsidiary, Tritec Marine, was in charge of the newbuild supervision. According to Northern Marine, the delivery management process was done within budget and two months ahead of schedule. 

Nino Prpa, Project Manager at Tritec Marine, noted: “Having been trusted by Hyundai Glovis to oversee their vessel’s construction, and given we are currently overseeing newbuild supervision projects in South Korea for other clients, we have further strengthened our position in the country’s shipbuilding market.

“We are very pleased to hand over the vessel to sister company Northern Marine Management who will now operate the vessel on the owner’s behalf. Many thanks to everyone who has assisted in the creation of this magnificent vessel.”

The vessel is chartered to Woodside Energy under a ten-year deal inked between the two players in 2022. The Australian player claims it is one of the most technologically advanced and efficient LNG carriers with features to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. It is expected to make its first call at Woodside’s Pluto LNG terminal in Western Australia.

“It is a great pleasure to see all the hard work of the team come to fruition as the Woodside Scarlett Ibis is delivered within budget and well ahead of schedule,” said George Mermiris, General Manager and Director at Tritec Marine.

“At Tritec Marine we have a long history in supporting leading energy and shipping companies with newbuild and vessel modification requirements. As our recent track record shows, we are ideally placed to offer a premium service to parties who are entering or expanding their activity in the Gas sector.”

The Korean player does not plan on ending its LNG journey, as evidenced by an order of six 10,800 CEU LNG dual-fuel pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs) with Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) in late May. In cooperation with Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K-Line), the firm is set to operate four LNG carriers being built at Hanwha Ocean for QatarEnergy as part of the Qatari giant’ historic LNG fleet expansion program.