Gunvor partners with Celsius Tankers and Arclight on new LNG tankers order

Celsius has formed a joint venture with an affiliate of ArcLight Capital Partners, a middle-market infrastructure investor, to fund two of the LNG carriers. Gunvor will have a significant equity interest in the other two new builds, the first for any independent LNG trading company, demonstrating the strength of Gunvor’s global position in the LNG market. All four vessels will enter long-term time charters with Clearlake Shipping, a subsidiary of Gunvor. Delivery will take place 2026 – 2027.

Celsius and Gunvor are committed to push boundaries for available design improvements to reduce environmental impact. These vessels’ highly efficient design minimises CO₂ emissions and methane slip from operations via installation of air lubrication, enhanced reliquefication capacity, optimisation of hull shape, and use of the best available paint system to reduce the vessels’ friction in water. The vessels will be built to ABS class with Enviro+ notation for improved criteria for environmental protection.

Operational experience from Celsius’ current vessels demonstrates the efficiency of this design. The new order for four vessels at CMHI will be similar to the “ultra eco” Celsius vessels on order in Korea with improvements for emissions and reduced fuel consumption. The new vessels will be fitted with ME-GA propulsion.

“We are very pleased to further expand our relationship with Celsius while demonstrating our commitment to the industry, both as charterers and now through our first major equity investment in LNG carriers. Importantly, these vessels are in line with Gunvor’s commitment to cut Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 40% by 2025. We have further committed to convert 100% of our fleet to eco-vessels by 2027. Gunvor imposes strict Carbon Intensity ratings in our vetting process, and these efficient vessels are critical for Gunvor as we strive to deliver physical energy to our customers with the lowest possible carbon footprint,” said Kalpesh Patel, Co-Head of LNG, Gunvor.

“We are very pleased to continue the growth of the LNG fleet and to expand the relationship with Clearlake and Gunvor. Celsius Copenhagen, our first LNG carrier, was delivered to Clearlake in 2020, and the relationship with Clearlake has further strengthened with this latest transaction. We are very pleased to further develop this business and to continue to deliver competitive and efficient services to Clearlake and Gunvor Group Ltd,” added Jeppe Jensen, Chairman of Celsius.

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/lng-shipping/12072023/gunvor-partners-with-celsius-tankers-and-arclight-on-new-lng-tankers-order/