Wah Kwong and BV celebrate delivery of LNG-ready LR2 tanker “Frontier Venture”

Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) on Tuesday (31 March) said it celebrated the delivery of LNG-ready LR2 tanker Frontier Venture with Wah Kwong Maritime Transport (Wah Kwong) on 30 March. 

The vessel is the first in Wah Kwong’s new series of SMART-enabled ships, representing a significant milestone in the company’s fleet development. 

Built by Hengli Shipyard in Dalian, the vessel is the first in the series to demonstrate Group 3 “augmented ship” capabilities, integrating advanced on-board digital systems with shore-based support.

Classed by BV, the Frontier Venture has been assigned the SMART (H1,M1,EnE3,MH3) notations, recognizing its enhanced capabilities in machinery health monitoring and energy efficiency optimization. The new vessel is the latest example of industry innovation, resulting from the long-standing collaboration between Wah Kwong and BV to advance class-recognized digitalization across its fleet.

The “augmented ship” features expert-in-the-loop services that deliver timely, actionable insights to ship officers. This includes early detection of machinery anomalies and recommendations for more efficient operating profiles, a critical capability in modern maritime operations, where complex variables demand both data-driven analysis and human expertise for sound decision-making.

The Frontier Venture is the first in the series being built at Hengli Shipyard. The delivery of the second LR2 is expected to be in July 2026. The 114,000 DWT LR2 Frontier Venture is 248.8 meters long, with a breadth of 44.0 meters and a depth of 21.5 meters. It is powered by a modern Everllence B&W main engine rated at 10,800 kW SMCR, and meets EEDI Phase III requirements. 

The vessel has three cargo oil pumps, each with a capacity of 3,000 m³/h, for efficient loading and discharge.

Hing Chao, Chairman of Wah Kwong Maritime Transport, said: “The SMART notations awarded to our first LR2 mark a key milestone in our long‑term partnership with Bureau Veritas and demonstrate how we translate innovation into fleet‑wide progress. 

“BV continues to set a higher bar for the governance of digital capability, and together we have advanced through the SMART framework in recent years — ensuring that data‑driven insights are effectively embedded in operations onboard and ashore. 

“This supports a future where trusted data and digital technologies enable the sector to collaborate more closely and move faster towards an intelligent, sustainable, maritime world.”

Photo credit: Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore
Published: 1 April, 2026