The world’s largest LNG bunker supply vessel has started its voyage from the Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (HMD) shipyard in South Korea to its primary area of operation in Northwest Europe, on 17 October. ‘Kairos’, with an LNG capacity of 7,500 m³, will be ready for operations by the end of 2018.
The arrival of the ‘Kairos’ in the Baltic Sea will set a milestone for LNG as a ship fuel. From then on, supply of LNG as a marine fuel in the Baltic Sea is secured on a large-scale basis. This is a great step for sustainable and responsible shipping with a large impact on air and water quality,
…noted Mahinde Abeynaike, CEO of Nauticor, which holds 90% of the joint venture that charters the vessel.
The new ship will ensure an efficient LNG reloading station service in the Port of Klaipėda (Lithuania) and offer a full LNG logistics chain in the Baltic Sea Region to its customers, added Mindaugas Jusius, CEO of Klaipėdos nafta (KN), which holds the remaining 10% of the joint venture.
The main advantage and ambition of the new vessel is to ensure more competitive pricing for the LNG reloading station users. It will not only reduce the cost of the LNG supply chain, but will also ensure the smooth and reliable service to distribution station users in Klaipėda.
The construction of the vessel started in 2016 when the joint venture signed a time-charter agreement with shipowner Babcock Schulte Energy (BSE). In February 2018, steel cutting took place at HMD shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea.