TotalEnergies has signed a charter contract with Spanish shipowner Ibaizabal for a new LNG bunker vessel of 18,600m3 capacity.
This new vessel will expand the Company’s global presence in bunkering hubs. One possible location for the vessel to be deployed is Oman, where the Company is developing the Marsa LNG project with the objective to provide LNG to the shipping sector in the Gulf.
The vessel, owned by Ibaizabal, will supply LNG to a range of vessels including container ships, tankers, large cruise ships and ferries at TotalEnergies’ LNG bunkering hubs and will meet high technical and environmental standards.
LNG is an immediately available transition marine fuel that can reduce GHG emissions in the shipping sector by around 20%. It significantly improves air quality by reducing NOx emissions by up to 85%, and it almost completely eliminates SOx and fine particles. These benefits are particularly impactful when ships are at berth, improving the quality of life for port cities and communities in coastal areas.
This new vessel, currently being constructed by Hudong–Zhonghua Shipbuilding in China, will be delivered by the end of 2026 and will join TotalEnergies’ current fleet of three deployed LNG bunker vessels: the Gas Agility, which has been positioned in the Port of Rotterdam, the Gas Vitality, operated in the Port of Marseille and the Brassavola located in the Port of Singapore.
Louise Tricoire, TotalEnergies SVP Aviation and Marine Fuels said: “We are very proud of this agreement with Ibaizabal, which reinforces our position as a main player in LNG bunkering. With new LNG-fuelled vessels coming on stream at a rapid pace, we are committed to playing our part in responding to the sector’s increasing demand for this fuel which can help global shipping meet its decarbonisation ambitions.”
Jorge Zickermann, CEO Ibaizabal Group, said: “Ibaizabal is honoured to be chosen to carry out this project as it falls within our strategy of decarbonising the maritime industry, together with a leading company in the LNG field, while enhancing the already long-term relationship in shipping with TotalEnergies.”
Image: New LNG bunker ship (source: TotalEnergies)
