Wholly-owned subsidiary Nakilat Shipping Qatar Limited (NSQL) will take over the management of 25 vessels - 14 Q-Max and 11 Q-Flex LNG carriers – from oil major Shell in a phased transition beginning this year.
Nakilat, which operates the world’s largest LNG fleet comprising 63 vessels, signed the planned transition agreement with Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited (Shell) on Wednesday.
Shell has provided a range of shipping services to Nakilat’s LNG fleet since it was established in 2006 including the management of the 14 Q-Max and 11 Q-Flex LNG carriers and the sharing of Shell’s Shipping & Maritime global expertise.
The management of the vessels will be transitioned in three phases to Nakilat’s in-house ship management arm, NSQL, which currently manages four large LPG carriers and four Q-Flex LNG carriers. 
“Today marks a milestone in Nakilat’s history as we embark on consolidating a fully-fledged ship operation for our wholly-owned vessels,” said Nakilat md, Eng. Abdullah Fadhalah Al Sulaiti (pictured).
“It is a pivotal strategic milestone towards Nakilat’s ambition of establishing an integrated maritime industry in Qatar. We are grateful to Shell for their professional management of our vessels over the last eight years and are confident of NSQL upholding the same excellent standards for our vessels, ensuring the safety and integrity of cargo from Qatar to the rest of the world.”
RELATED CONTENT
Nakilat announces slight dip in Q3 profit to $205m
The 25 vessels have reportedly delivered more than 320m cubic meters of Qatar’s LNG to more than 20 countries and have voyaged some 17m nautical miles - the equivalent of more than 780 trips around the equator’s circumference.
Shell Shipping & Maritime provides commercial, ship management and technology services and is responsible for operations in 130 ports and terminals around the world. It manages a fleet of more than 40 LNG carriers and around 10 oil tankers and has more than 240 oil and LNG tankers on time charter.
“We are proud to be a partner with Nakilat and to continue to support Qatar’s vision of building a world-class shipping business,” Dr. Grahaeme Henderson, vp of Shell Shipping & Maritime said in a statement.
“This world-leading fleet includes some of the largest and most technically advanced vessels of their type and their cargo helps ensure energy security for millions of people around the world.”
Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited.
Add Seatrade Maritime News to your Google News feed.  |
