Three 20,000 cbm LNG bunker vessels to sport Schottel propulsion packages

Germany’s propulsion system manufacturer Schottel has secured a contract to supply full propulsion packages for three new LNG bunkering vessels under construction at Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering (SOE) in China.

Under the contract, Schottel is to deliver propulsion packages consisting of a controllable pitch propeller, a retractable rudder propeller, and a transverse thruster to three vessels with a loading capacity of 20,000 cubic meters.

As the main propulsion unit, Schottel’s ControllablePropeller type SCP 119 4-X, with an input power of 5,800 kW and a propeller diameter of 6,000 mm, is expected to enable the 159.9-meter-long and 25-meter-wide vessels to achieve a free sailing speed of up to 15.5 knots.

Two of these LNG bunkering vessels were ordered by UK-based midstream LNG & BioLNG company Avenir LNG and one by Singapore’s Vitol International Shipping.

As reported earlier, Avenir’s ships will also feature new Type C tank designs, lower boil-off rates, the latest engine technologies, hull form optimisation, and subcoolers which offer carbon emission reductions and minimize cargo losses compared to other vessels of this size.

In 2024, Vitol signed a time charter agreement for one of the two vessels ordered by Avenir, starting in the fourth quarter of 2026 and lasting for a period of seven years with options to extend up to ten years in total.