Knutsen takes delivery of third LNG carrier for charter with ORLEN

Norwegian shipowner Knutsen Group has taken delivery of a newbuild LNG carrier that will go on a charter with Poland’s PGNiG Supply & Trading, a part of ORLEN Group.

The vessel named Saint Barbara is the third in a series of six vessels that will be chartered to the Polish company, following Lech Kaczyński and Grażyna Gęsicka.

Like its sister vessels, Saint Barbara has a capacity of 174,000 cubic meters and is equipped with a Mark III Flex system, re-liquefaction unit, air lubrication system, and MEGA engine.

These features make the vessel fit for efficient and sustainable LNG transport, making it able to reach the CII grade A, Knutsen said.

Lech Kaczyński and Grażyna Gęsicka, which were built by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries, were delivered to Knutsen in February and April this year, respectively.

The vessels will be used by ORLEN Group to deliver LNG purchased under both long-term contracts and spot contracts on a free-on-board (FOB) basis.

Based on data on Knutsen’s website, the company currently has twenty newbuildings at Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI) in Korea and at Cosco (Zhoushan) Shipyard in China, including eighteen LNG carriers and two shuttle tankers.