Nakilat has taken delivery of a newbuild LNG carrier, “Global Energy”, which will be commercially and technically managed in-house by Nakilat. Built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME), this is the first of four LNG carrier newbuilds to be delivered to Global Shipping Co. Ltd., a joint venture of Nakilat (60%) and Maran Ventures Inc. (Maran Ventures) (40%). The delivery of all four newbuild LNG carriers by end-2021 will bring Nakilat’s fleet to 74 vessels, which is just under 12% of current global LNG fleet in carrying capacity.

Nakilat’s Chief Executive Officer Eng. Abdullah Al Sulaiti said, “We are committed to grow our fleet in a sustainable manner to meet the rising demand for clean energy transport globally. The addition of this technologically-advanced newbuild to our fleet not only gives us a competitive edge, but also allows us to provide additional capacity and flexibility to our customers, which is important in a dynamic marketplace. The steady expansion of our fleet through the acquisition of these four newbuilds and the second phase fleet transition that has already commenced, comes as part of our efforts to maximize returns for our shareholders and strengthen our position as the leading transporter of clean energy.”

Eng. Al-Sulaiti added, “We have seen a shift in terms of management and vessel technology in the industry, which we have taken into consideration. Constructed in South Korea, the four modern vessels each have a cargo carrying capacity of 173,400 cubic meters, equipped with some of the most advanced technology in the market today, with two of them being equipped with ME-GI while the other two with X-DF propulsion technologies. These vessels also feature modern structural design and employ other advanced technologies.”

Chairman of Maran Ventures, Mr John Angelicoussis said, “Nakilat has been a strategic partner for many years and we are pleased to be taking delivery of this first LNG vessel under our new Global Shipping joint venture.  We are confident these high specification vessels, built by DSME, and now managed technically and commercially by Nakilat, will provide charterers with a first-class LNG shipping service.”