Avenir LNG on Tuesday (1 September) announced the completion of the transaction first announced in March, establishing Avenir LNG as a 50/50 joint venture between NYK Line and Stolt-Nielsen.

The partnership brings together the global reach, expertise and capabilities of two leading maritime groups, providing an even stronger platform from which Avenir can continue to grow.

“For Avenir, our focus remains clear: expanding our global LNG bunkering and small-scale LNG activities, accelerating the adoption of Bio-LNG, and helping our customers navigate the transition towards lower-carbon shipping,” the company said. 

“We are incredibly proud of what the Avenir team has built to date and excited about what this new partnership makes possible.”

With the completion of the transaction, NYK said it has established a joint ownership and operating structure with Stolt-Nielsen for Avenir LNG, an operator in the LNG bunkering sector with one of the world’s largest fleets of LNG bunker vessels.

“The joint venture will pursue opportunities in LNG and bio-LNG bunkering, supporting the maritime industry’s transition to lower-emission fuels,” NYK said in a separate statement. 

Photo credit: Avenir LNG
Published: 2 September, 2026

Titan Clean Fuels (Titan), part of Molgas Group, on Tuesday (1 September) said it has entered into a long-term agreement with shipowner Sogestran Group for the construction, charter and operation of a new 6,000 cbm LNG bunker vessel (LNGBV). 

The vessel will be built by CIMC SOE, a Chinese shipyard specialising in small and medium-sized gas carriers.

Titan is planning to operate the LNGBV throughout the Western Mediterranean. It will be able to load LNG from a series of terminals in the Mediterranean Sea and to offer LNG and LBM (liquified biomethane) bunkering as well as gas up and cool down services to all types of LNG-fuelled vessels in major Mediterranean ports, including Fos-Marseille, Barcelona and Genoa. 

This positioning expands the presence of the Molgas Group in the Mediterranean Sea by adding ship-to-ship LNG and LBM Bunkering services to its already established truck-to-ship and broader onshore downstream LNG distribution capabilities.

This LNGBV has been jointly developed and designed by the Titan and Sogestran teams to cater to the navigational, operational and commercial characteristics of Western Mediterranean ports, LNG reloading terminals and receiving vessels calling the ports in the region.

The ship will join the Molgas Group’s overall fleet of eight LNG bunker vessels in operation across Northern Europe, six vessels form Titan’s fleet and two are trading for Molgas Norway, reflecting the growing maritime demand for LNG and LBM, as well as anticipated future demand for e-methane.

Grégoire Hartig, Commercial Director at Titan, said: “We’re excited to grow our LNG bunker vessel fleet, by expanding our capacity to cater to our clients in terms of bunkering volume and geographical location. LNG and LBM have proven to be the leading alternative fuels as the shipping industry continues its energy transition, and we intend to match this growing demand. 

“We are very much looking forward to Titan, part of Molgas Group, becoming a prime LNG and LBM bunkering supplier in France and the Mediterranean.” 

Benoist Grosjean, Managing Director of Sogestran Shipping, said: “Co-developing this vessel with Titan has been an exciting challenge. Thanks to our in-house engineering capabilities and the close collaboration established with Titan’s technical teams from the earliest stages of the project, we have been able to design a tailor-made vessel perfectly suited to the operational requirements of the Western Mediterranean. 

“Its low-air-draft design will notably enable it to bunker cruise ships without the use of a pontoon. Moreover, the vessel itself will be LNG/LBM-fuelled, contributing to the decarbonisation of maritime transport.”

Titan and the wider Molgas Group bring over 15 years of in-depth expertise in safely delivering cleaner bunker fuels to the maritime industry. Sogestran has been providing conventional marine fuel bunkering services in Marseille, Spain and Algeria for decades, bringing extensive operational expertise and local knowledge to the project.

Together, they set a strong foundation for LNG/LBM bunkering services in the Mediterranean.

Titan added that the Mediterranean became a sulphur oxide (SOx) and Particulate Matter (PM) Emission Control Area (ECA) on 1 May 2025.

“This reinforces the need for LNG and LBM in the region, because compared with oil-based fuels, these methane pathway fuels can almost eliminate SOx and PM emissions, offer ECA compliance and reduce local pollutants that are harmful to human health,” the company added.

Photo credit: Titan
Published: 2 September, 2026

Clean energy equipment and services provider CIMC Enric on Monday (31 August) said LNG-powered container vessel Digul Mas, owned by Indonesian listed shipping company TEMAS Group, has successfully completed its commercial maiden voyage.

The vessel has commenced operations on the inter-island route connecting Surabaya, Kendari, and Gorontalo, Indonesia.

The vessel adopts an innovative LNG fuel tank swapping model, enabling flexible and efficient LNG refuelling without relying on large-scale bunkering infrastructure.

As a key solution provider for the project, CIMC Enric supplied specialised marine LNG fuel tanks and delivered TEMAS Group’s 5 MMSCFD skid-mounted LNG liquefaction plant.

“Together, these solutions create an integrated LNG value chain covering liquefaction, storage and transportation, and marine fuel utilisation,” the company said. 

“For Indonesia’s archipelagic shipping market, where natural gas pipeline infrastructure is limited and the construction of large-scale LNG bunkering terminals can be challenging, this model offers a flexible alternative.” 

By combining skid-mounted LNG liquefaction plants with standardised LNG fuel tanks, CIMC Enric’s virtual pipeline solution enables LNG to be produced, transported, stored, and supplied to vessels independently and flexibly—reducing the need for extensive modifications to existing bunkering infrastructure.

“The successful operation of Digul Mas marked an important milestone in the application of CIMC Enric’s virtual pipeline solution in overseas marine transportation, while demonstrating a practical and replicable pathway for the low-carbon transformation of maritime shipping in Indonesia and Southeast Asia,” the company added. 

Photo credit: CIMC Enric
Published: 1 September, 2026