The world’s largest LNG bunkering vessel, ‘Kairos’, was delivered this week to Babcock Schulte Energy (BSE), a joint venture between UK-based Babcock and Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM). The first cut of steel was completed in November 2017 at the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea and the keel was laid in early 2018. ‘Kairos’, with an LNG capacity of 7,500 m³, will be ready for operations by the end of 2018.
The vessel started its voyage from South Korea to its primary area of operation in Northwest Europe, to Port of Klaipėda, Lithuania, on 17 October. The vessel will be deployed to the Baltic region servicing also a number of other terminals, including the Linde/AGA terminal in Nynäshamn, performing both ship-to-ship bunkering and transshipment operations of LNG to ferries, containers, cruise ships and other shore-based gas consumers.
Equipped with Babcock’s Fuel Gas Supply Vessel Zero (FGSV0) technology –a scalable cargo handling and fueling solution complete with compressed natural gas storage and utilisation capabilities – Kairos is expected also to eliminate the release of boil-off and flash gas to the atmosphere during normal operations.
As ‘Kairos’ enters service Babcock Schulte Energy is proud to be contributing towards a cleaner energy future for shipping. Our industry is evaluating ways to meet new emission regulations and reduce its carbon footprint. The use of natural gas is emerging as the most sustainable solution for powering global maritime transportation into the future. We believe that this will offer significant opportunities for the joint venture,
…said Angus Campbell, Director of Energy Projects – Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement.
