Nakilat developing decarbonisation strategy with ABS

Nakilat, a Qatari LNG shipping operator, has formed a partnership with the classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) with the aim of developing a decarbonisation strategy.

Nakilat said that its project team has worked with ABS sustainability specialists over the past months to map out decarbonisation pathways for the company’s fleet of 60 LNG carriers and four very large LPG gas carriers.

The aim of the project is to obtain ABS Sustain notation for the Nakilat vessels. The notation demonstrates alignment with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and establishes a pathway for sustainability certification and reporting.

The Sustain notations were introduced with the ABS Guide for Sustainability Notations to help marine and offshore operators meet the environmental, social and governance (ESG) requirements outlined in the SDGs.

The Guide focuses on sustainability aspects of vessel design, outfitting and layout that can be controlled, measured, and assessed. These include pollution and waste, coastal and marine ecosystems, energy efficiency and performance monitoring, low-carbon fuels, human-centred design and asset recycling.

Nakilat’s CEO Abdullah Al Sulaiti said that the company is also leading a working group with its joint venture partners to ensure that global fleet operations meet IMO’s decarbonisation targets.

“Our focus is on sustainable development of Nakilat’s fleet beyond 2030, which contributes towards the realization of Qatar National Vision 2030 and our own vision to be a global leader and provider of choice for energy transportation and maritime services”, Al Sulaiti added.

“ABS is proud to work with forward-looking operators that are not only committed to finding a sustainable footing for the industry but to demonstrating how we can make significant strides towards realizing that dream today”, said Georgios Plevrakis, ABS’ director of Global Sustainability.

In the recent news, Nakilat took delivery of the third of four LNG newbuild carriers built by South Korean shipbuilding company Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME).

The 174,000 cbm vessel Global Sea Spirit was the first vessel with X-DF propulsion to join the Nakilat fleet, with the second newbuild (also with X-DF propulsion) expected to be delivered in early 2022.

Vessels running with X-DF engines propulsion are proven to be more fuel-efficient, reduce greenhouse emissions and are environmentally friendly due to their low-carbon emission, according to the company.