Leading global ship management company V.Group has appointed LNG industry expert David Taylor as Managing Director of LNG as a mark of continued commitment to the energy sector.

David joins V.Group from the leadership team of Shell Group, where he has held roles in various locations including General Manager Ship Management and Global Discipline Head and Process Owner Logistics.

David was one of the first in the world to become a Chartered Master Mariner in 2017. With more than 38 years’ experience in the industry, David has sailed all ranks to Master on LNG, Crude and Product Tankers and also managed the commissioning and start-up of a LNG terminal. More recently, he has managed the safe and efficient global operation of all types of LNG vessels including a LNG bunker vessel and in addition, oversaw the operations readiness activities for the management of the world’s first bulk liquid hydrogen vessel.

Bjoern Sprotte, CEO Ship Management at V.Group, said:

“David’s appointment is testament to our commitment to the rapidly evolving LNG sector. He has a proven strategic and operational track record and his technical expertise in LNG is second to none. David will be a real asset and we are pleased to welcome him to our team. With LNG trading volumes set to double in the next 20 years, David’s appointment comes at an exciting period of change as we work closely with our customers to meet this growth and support the future emission strategies.”

David Taylor said:

“I’m delighted to be joining a global leader with unrivalled experience in vessel management. V.Group is well placed to service the growing LNG market, with dual capacity to work across onshore and offshore.

“LNG shipping demand is poised to increase, being one of the transition fuels as the global shipping industry looks to find solutions to meet decarbonisation goals, there are huge opportunities for V.Group. With our global reach, industry leading standards for safety and experience in providing skilled LNG crew, we are well poised to support the growth of the global LNG fleet.”

V.Group provides ship management and crewing services to LNG vessel owners. It has vast experience at sea and ashore with propulsion type vessels including MOSS, Steam, MEGI, DFDE and TFDE.