Knutsen Group takes delivery of LNG bunker vessel in Spain

LNG carrier operator Knutsen Group said it took delivery of the 5,000 cbm-capacity LNG bunker vessel Haugesund Knutsen in Barcelona on 23 December, bringing into service the first small-scale LNG vessel ever built in Spain.

PHOTO: The Haugesund Knutsen LNG bunker delivery vessel. Knutsen Group LinkedIn post

The vessel, built at the Armon Shipyards in Gijon, Spain, is chartered by European oil major Shell. It will load gas from the Enagas LNG terminal in Barcelona to supply gas carriers and other LNG-fuelled vessels in the region.

Knutsen Group says the Haugesund Knutsen is specifically designed to supply LNG as fuel to cruise ships and ferries, and that it will also run on LNG itself.

Demand for LNG bunkers grew sharply towards the second quarter last year, when surging natural gas prices forced gas-to-oil switching among dual-fuelled ships that can run on LNG. Demand is expected to recover when gas prices normalise, and as more LNG-fuelled vessels enter the global fleet, which is set to more than double to over 850 ships by 2028.

By Debarati Bhattacharjee

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