Knutsen welcomes LNG carriers for charters with ORLEN and Engie

Knutsen LNG France, a part of Knutsen OAS Shipping, has taken delivery of Grazyna Gesicka, a 174,000 cbm LNG carrier constructed by South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries.

In a brief social media update, Knutsen LNG France said the LNG carrier was delivered on 28 April, bringing its RIF French Flag fleet to seven vessels.

Grazyna Gesicka is the second LNG carrier chartered by Poland’s ORLEN Group for a period of ten years with an extension option. The first vessel, Lech Kaczyński, entered service in February this year while Grażyna Gęsicka is scheduled to deliver its first LNG cargo in the second half of 2023.

Each vessel can carry a cargo of about 70 thousand tonnes of LNG, equivalent to about 100 mcm of regasified natural gas.

One of their features is a very low rate of boil-off losses. What is more, boil-off gas can be reverted to liquid state thanks to onboard reliquefaction systems. The vessels’ engines can run on both diesel oil and natural gas, which will ensure their compliance with environmental standards for maritime transport well into the future, ORLEN said.

In addition to welcoming Grazyna Gesicka, Knutsen LNG France was busy this month holding a naming ceremony for Gordon Waters Knutsen. This LNG carrier was built by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries and will be chartered by French energy group Engie.

According to Knutsen Group’s website, eighteen newbuildings are on order at Hyundai Heavy Industries, Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries in Korea, at Cosco (Zhoushan) Shipyard in China and at Astilleros Armon Gijon in Spain.

Recently, the company welcomed the sixth unit in a series of nine LNG carriers which will be chartered to energy major Shell and witnessed the first ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operation by its newbuild Haugesund Knutsen, the first small-scale LNG bunkering vessel built in Spain.