Shell brings its LNG newbuilding fleet to 24 ships

Shell Tankers (Singapore) has inked new charter agreements with Knutsen LNG, Pan Ocean Co. and investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management for six liquified natural gas (LNG) ships, bringing its LNG carrier fleet to a total of 24 vessels.

As informed, the 174,000 cbm LNG carriers will be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries. The vessels are slated for delivery from 2023.

“These ships will be some 35% more efficient than required by the energy efficiency design index (EEDI) and 20% more than required by the annual efficiency ratio (AER), delivering significant emission reductions for our time charter fleet,” said Grahaeme Henderson, Global Head of Shell Shipping & Maritime. 

According to Shell, the ships will feature dual-fuel X-DF engines, boil-off management plants, air lubrication systems and shaft generators for auxiliary power, along with optimised hull and design speed.

Furthermore, they will incorporate “the latest industry learnings and recommendations on safety”, including MEG4-compliant moorings.

To enable further efficiencies and emission reductions, each ship’s performance will be improved “by analyzing real-time data from the ships and deploying Shell’s proprietary draft and trim optimization software, JAWS.”

This will deliver around a 50% reduction in carbon emissions compared to 2008 steam turbine LNG carriers, the company claims.

Shell continues to significantly invest in LNG for its long-term charter fleet by the end of 2021.

This order builds on the long-term charters Shell announced for eight ships of the same class in December 2019, six in August 2020, and four in December 2020.