Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) held a naming ceremony for its newbuild LNG carrier, the Greenergy Ocean, in Tokyo last week.
The vessel was built for CNOOC Gas and Power Singapore Trading & Marketing Pte, wholly owned by China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group shipyard.
This is the first vessel to be launched under a long-term charter contract for six new LNG carriers for CNOOC signed in January 2022 that will be jointly owned by MOL, CNOOC, and Cosco Shipping LNG Investment. After delivery at the end of this month (May), the vessel will transport LNG procured by the CNOOC Group from all over the world, mainly to China. The remaining five vessels are scheduled to be delivered in succession between 2024 and 2026.
Under its Blue Action 2035 management plan, the MOL Group has been promoting a business portfolio transformation that will enable it to increase the weight of its businesses with stable earnings and ensure profitability during downturns in the shipping industry. This encompasses the expansion of its LNG fleet, which includes this latest newbuild project.
The project is also in line with MOL’s environmental vision which aims to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050.