MOL signs deals with shipbuilding companies to construct six LNG-fuelled newbuilds
- Published
by Admin
Japanese shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) on Thursday (25 August) said it has signed deals with shipbuilding companies to build four Capesize bulkers and two Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) tankers, which will use environment-friendly liquefied natural gas (LNG) as their main fuel.
The company signed a deal for construction of four 210,000 DWT-class Capesize bulkers with CSSC Qingdao Beihai Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. This is MOL’s first time ordering newbuilding vessels from this shipyard. The new ships are slated for delivery in succession from 2025 through 2026.
MOL also signed a contract for construction of two 309,000 DWT-class VLCCs with Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd. (KHI). The newly ordered VLCCs will be built by Dalian COSCO KHI Ship Engineering Co., Ltd. and jointly operated by KHI and China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited. This is the first LNG-fuelled VLCC ordered from a Japanese tanker operator. The newbuilding VLCCs are scheduled for delivery from 2025 through 2026.
MOL Group, to date, has ordered 16 ocean-going LNG-fueled vessels which includes these Capesize bulkers and VLCCs, in addition to car carriers, bulkers, and six coastal vessels which are ferries, a tugboat, and coastal cargo vessels.
It plans to expand its fleet of LNG-fueled vessels to about 90 by 2030, in line with the “adoption of clean alternative energy” strategy toward the goal of net zero GHG emissions.
Photo credit: Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd.
Published: 29 August, 2022
