Mitsui holds naming ceremony for second Yamal LNG carrier

Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has held a naming ceremony for an LNG carrier, jointly ordered by MOL and China COSCO Shipping.

MOL said that the naming ceremony for the LNG Merak carrier was held on Wednesday, January 8, at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding yard.

LNG Merak is the second of four newbuilding LNG carriers for the Yamal LNG project and the sister vessel of the LNG Dubhe which was delivered at the end of last October in the same shipyard.

The new LNG carrier will be engaged in the transport of the Yamal’s LNG from transshipment terminals in Europe to Asia LNG terminals.

MOL has been operating 11 LNG carriers built in China for other projects, and LNG Merak will be the 12th LNG carrier built in China to join its fleet.

The Yamal LNG plant has been producing LNG over nameplate production capacity and over 25 million tons of LNG have now been shipped since the start-up of Train 1 in December 2017 and has cumulatively dispatched more than 340 cargoes.