Dubai: ADNOC Logistics & Services has taken delivery of its first newly built LNG carrier from China, and with the other five set for handovers over the next two years.
The first vessel, named ‘Al Shelila’ and delivered two months ahead of schedule, will be hired out to a global energy trader.
It was in 2022 that ADNOC L&S awarded the shipbuilding contracts to China’s Jiangnan Shipyard for the six LNG carriers as part of a strategic fleet expansion to ‘meet growing global demand for natural gas as a lower-carbon energy source’.
This year, the ADNOC entity also issued build contracts for up to 23 new ‘energy-efficient’ vessels, including 8-10 LNG carriers, nine very large ethane carriers (VLECs) and four very large Ammonia carriers (VLACs), adding in ‘excess of 340 years of contracted income year-to-date’.
On the first LNG carrier delivery from China, Capt. Abdulkareem Al Masabi, CEO of ADNOC L&S, said: “As we expand our fleet to meet rising global demand for natural gas, our deepening partnership with Jiangnan Shipyard underscores the strong industrial ties between the UAE and China, reinforcing our shared commitment to powering global economic growth.”
The ‘Al Shelila’ has a capacity of 175,000 cubic meters, ‘significantly larger’ than the 137,000 cubic meter capacity of ADNOC L&S’ current LNG vessels.
The vessel is packed with two new-generation LNG dual-fuel main engines, and designed to reduce methane emissions by up to 50% compared to older-generation technology.
In 2020, AW Shipping, the strategic venture between ADNOC L&S and Wanhua Chemical, awarded Jiangnan Shipyard shipbuilding contracts for five very large gas Carriers. This expanded in 2024 with further contracts for nine VLECs and four VLACs.
