TotalEnergies getting another LNG bunker vessel

TotalEnergies has signed a charter contract with Spanish shipowner Ibaizabal for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker vessel of 18,600m3 capacity.

This new vessel will expand the Company’s global presence in bunkering hubs. In particular, this additional vessel might be deployed in 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 wide range of vessels (containerships, tankers, large cruise ships, ferries) at TotalEnergies’ LNG bunkering hubs and meet the highest technical and environmental standards.

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.

“We are very proud of this agreement with Ibaizabal, which reinforces our position as a main player in LNG bunkering” said Louise Tricoire, TotalEnergies Senior Vice President, Aviation and Marine Fuels. “With new LNG-fueled 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 decarbonization ambitions.”

TotalEnergies is the world’s third largest LNG player with a global portfolio of 44 Mt/y in 2023 thanks to its interests in liquefaction plants in all geographies. The Company benefits from an integrated position across the LNG value chain, including production, transportation, access to more than 20 Mt/y of regasification capacity in Europe, trading, and LNG bunkering. TotalEnergies’ ambition is to increase the share of natural gas in its sales mix to close to 50% by 2030, to reduce carbon emissions and eliminate methane emissions associated with the gas value chain, and to work with local partners to promote the transition from coal to natural gas.