Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV), a global leader in testing, inspection and certification (TIC), today announced the classification of three new LNG bunker vessels, including one 18,600 m3 vessel for Ibaizabal at Hudong Zhonghua and two 18,000 m3 vessels for Hercules Shipping, shipping arm of Peninsula at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, which will be delivered from 2026. The vessels further BV’s collaboration with world-leading shipbuilders, charterers and yards on major LNG projects, supporting the maritime industry as it transitions to the use of more sustainable fuels.

The new vessels join a list of 18 BV-classed LNG bunkering vessels in service, with four more scheduled for delivery in 2025 and 2026. They add to the important supply of LNG as fuel and help ensure shipbuilders and operators remain compliant and on course to meet global emissions targets. BV has now classified around 35% of the world’s bunkering ships in service and approximately 50% of the order book to date.

While LNG remains an essential part of the current maritime energy landscape, methanol and ammonia are increasingly viewed as a fuel that could accelerate decarbonization efforts. BV is already leveraging its deep expertise in LNG to facilitate the industry’s shift to other clean fuels, exploring how lessons from LNG can be applied to methanol and ammonia’s production, transport, and eventual use as a maritime fuel.

Bureau Veritas has supported developments that will pave the way for the broader uptake of ammonia as a fuel on land and at sea. It recently granted an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Dalian Shipbuilding for its liquid ammonia bunkering vessel design and partnered with Hanwha Ocean and Naftomar on a joint development project to develop large ammonia carriers with an ammonia fuel-prepared design. On methanol projects, BV is also actively involved as selected class of several bunkering tankers in Europe and Singapore and numerous methanol fuel projects, mainly in chemical tankers and container ships.
Source: Bureau Veritas