South Korea christens first LNG bunker vessel

South Korea has held a naming ceremony for its first domestic liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker vessel, the country’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) revealed.

As disclosed, the vessel Blue Whale was christened today (10 May). The ship was built by local shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) at Ulsan shipyard. The value of the contract was  KRW 55.3 billion ($41.74 million).

According to MOTIE, this is the first vessel equipped with the advanced Korean-type KC-2 cargo design. The country has been developing its own cargo technologies for several years, and now, the system was updated to meet the needs of this ship.

When Blue Whale goes into service, it will be possible to supply LNG for 250 tank lorry trucks directly to the ships, MOTIE emphasized.

This is expected to “significantly reduce the time and space constraints of LNG bunkering” and increase efficiency.

To remind, in December last year, the country christened its first dual-fuel, smart electric passenger ship that integrates various information and communication technologies. The vessel was also built in Ulsan by South Korean shipbuilding company Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD), part of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group.