Two gas carriers have been handed over to Japanese and Qatari owners. Four bunkering vessels have meanwhile entered service with operators from Italy, the UAE, and Bahrain.
China’s Jiangmen Hangtong Shipbuilding recently delivered a new 7,700DWT bunkering tanker to Hercules Tanker Management (HTM) based in the UAE.
Hercules Angelica is the fourth vessel in an order of ten placed by Gibraltar-based fuel supplier Peninsula, which will operate the ship under time charter.
The vessel was built to Lloyd’s Register class and Portuguese flag requirements.
The newbuild has an LOA of 104 metres, a beam of 19 metres, and a gross tonnage of 4,999.
China Merchants Energy Shipping has named the first of six 174,000 cubic-metre LNG carriers under construction at Samsung Heavy Industries' Geoje shipyard in South Korea.
Schulte Marine Concept, which is supervising construction, announced on October 29 that hull SN2694 had been named Lekhraib. Delivery is scheduled for November 16. The vessel will be classed by DNV and built to Hong Kong flag requirements.
China Merchants said the naming ceremony and associated activities took place at Geoje and Busan on October 28–29.
The owner said Lekhraib is the first of its six conventional LNG carriers under the second phase of QatarEnergy's LNG shipping programme. After delivery, the vessel will provide long-term LNG transportation services to QatarEnergy.
Japan’s Kumiai Navigation took delivery of a new LPG-powered gas carrier from Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) on Thursday, October 29.
The Singapore-registered, NK-classed Aurora Borealis has a cargo tank capacity of 87,058 cubic metres. She is fitted with separate cargo tanks that allow LPG and ammonia to be carried simultaneously.
KHI said the design boasts increased cargo capacity compared with its existing 84,000-cubic-metre LPG carriers while keeping principal dimensions such as length and beam similar to those of conventional vessels. This would allow the ship to berth at major LPG terminals worldwide.
Propulsion is provided by a Kawasaki-MAN B&W 6G60ME-C10.5-LGIP electronically controlled engine equipped for LPG injection.
Bahrain-based Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard (ASRY) has handed over two bunkering barges in a series to Bapco Refining, a subsidiary of local company Bapco Energies.
ASRY said the hand-over of the vessels followed outfitting, commissioning, technical testing, performance trials, and crew training.
The yard announced the first phase of the project in September 2024. At the time, ASRY described the two vessels as self-propelled fuel oil bunker barges.
Bapco Refining CEO Dr Abdulrahman Jawahery said the yard's involvement would help the company meet energy sector requirements, "in alignment with international standards and specifications, ensuring compliance with the dual framework of IMO MARPOL agreements."
Italian shipping group Fratelli Cosulich has taken delivery of a new methanol-ready bunker tanker from Taizhou Maple Leaf Shipbuilding in China.
The 8,585DWT IMO II tanker Carlotta Cosulich is the third of four sister vessels built as part of Fratelli Cosulich Marine Energy's programme to expand its fleet. Anna Cosulich and Lucia Cosulich were delivered earlier this year.
The vessel is undergoing final preparations before entering service in the port and anchorage of Singapore.
The vessel has methanol-compatible cargo tank coating, single point mooring (SPM) capability and a five-tonne cargo crane.