LNG-powered HMM Sky wraps up first commercial STS bunkering operation

Newbuild 7,700 TEU containership HMM Sky, said to be the first LNG-fueled containership in South Korea, has undergone its first commercial ship-to-ship (STS) LNG bunkering operation.

South Korean shipping company HMM, the charterer of this LNG-powered containership, shared the update via social media on February 24, 2025.

As informed, during the first commercial STS bunkering operation, HMM Sky received approximately 2,400 tons of LNG as it underwent cargo handling at Busan New Port.

To remind, HMM Sky and its sister vessel HMM Ocean, were built by HJ Shipbuilding & Construction (HJSC) in South Korea at the end of 2024. The ships were ordered by Greek shipowner Navios in 2022.

HMM Sky and HMM Ocean, deemed South Korea’s first LNG-powered containerships, have been chartered by HMM for up to 14 years. The South Korean company deployed the LNG-powered containerships on its FIM (Far East–India–Mediterranean) service in January 2025.

As previously reported, HMM aims to acquire around 70 green vessels by 2030 and establish a carbon-neutral ecosystem across all transportation segments by 2045.

As part of this strategy, the shipping company recently revealed plans to invest KRW 23.5 trillion ($17.48 billion) in sustainable growth by 2030.

The company’s twelve-strong LNG-ready 13,000 TEU containership fleet ordered at Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2021 was also recently completed.

In other company-related news, the Premier Alliance, a global shipping alliance between HMM, Singapore’s Ocean Network Express (ONE) and Taiwan’s Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation, was cleared to start on February 9, 2025, allowing the three shipping companies to share vessels and routes in the trades across the Asia-Europe, Transpacific, and Asia-Middle East main trade lanes.