Contract Signed for 18,000㎥ Class LNG Bunkering Vessel Marks First Order of the Year
Technological Prowess in Building the World's First LNG Bunkering Vessel Reaffirmed
Accelerating Expansion into the Eco-Friendly Ship Market
HJ Heavy Industries (CEO Yu Sang-cheol) opened the door to orders this year by securing an 18,000㎥ class LNG bunkering vessel from H Line Shipping for 127.1 billion KRW.
From the left, H-Line Shipping CEO Seomyeongdeuk Seo, HJ Heavy Industries CEO Sangcheol Yoo. Provided by HJ Heavy Industries
This is a remarkable achievement following the world's first 5,100㎥ class LNG bunkering vessel ordered from Japan's NYK Corporation in 2014.
The company reaffirmed its eco-friendly ship technology through the order of an LNG bunkering vessel, regarded as an advanced ship to accelerate carbon neutrality. Along with this, it strengthened efforts to enhance the competitiveness of K-shipbuilding by securing high-efficiency and eco-friendly ships, which is the goal of the domestic shipbuilding industry in the global shipbuilding market.
In particular, with the second Trump administration in the United States announcing plans to expand oil and natural gas drilling and resume LNG exports, related markets such as crude oil carriers, LNG carriers, and LNG bunkering vessels are expected to be revitalized. This is a promising point for the domestic shipbuilding industry, which has competitiveness, to benefit.
The vessel ordered by HJ Heavy Industries measures 144m in length, 25.2m in width, and 12.8m in depth. It is an ultra-large LNG bunkering vessel capable of supplying up to 18,000㎥ of LNG at one time to ships using LNG as fuel. It is equipped with two independent LNG tanks certified by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and features a dual fuel propulsion system that can use both LNG, an eco-friendly fuel, and marine diesel oil, ensuring safety and operational efficiency while effectively reducing carbon emissions.
LNG-powered ships generally receive fuel through onshore LNG storage tanks, but using ship-to-ship LNG bunkering vessels allows direct LNG fuel supply at sea without docking. This is why LNG bunkering vessels are called "gas stations on the sea."
HJ Heavy Industries demonstrated its technological prowess by delivering the world's first versatile 5,100㎥ class LNG bunkering vessel, the ENGIE Zeebrugge, in 2017. ENGIE, a French multinational energy company, praised the vessel, stating, "With the introduction of the ENGIE Zeebrugge, the previously limited LNG fuel supply, which relied on onshore receiving terminals or LNG trailers, has become possible for various LNG-powered ships, marking a milestone in the development of the LNG fuel supply chain."
As the decarbonization era dawns and LNG emerges as an eco-friendly fuel, demand for bunkering vessels that can supply LNG most efficiently is also expanding. According to TotalEnergies Marine Fuels, a maritime fuel supplier in Singapore, global LNG bunkering demand is expected to increase from 400,000 tons annually in 2017 to 10 million tons by 2025.
Yu Sang-cheol, CEO of HJ Heavy Industries, said, "As global LNG demand and supply increase, the LNG bunkering vessel market will continue to grow," adding, "We will focus on accumulating eco-friendly and high value-added shipbuilding technology worthy of the reputation of the shipbuilding family and securing a super-gap competitiveness in the market."
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