Hudong Zhonghua christens France's first LNG bunker vessel

MOL Gas Vitality LNG bunker vessel.png
LNG bunker vessel Gas Vitality
The worlds’ largest LNG bunker vessel, Gas Vitality, has been officially named at CSSC Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding.

The 18,600 cu m GTT Mark III membrane vessel is TotalEnergies Marine Fuels second collaboration with Mitsui OSK Lines and Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding following the signing of a long-term charter contract in November 2019.

Gas Vitality is a significant milestone in our long-term partnership with TotalEnergies throughout the LNG supply chain and our commitment towards a decarbonized world. I am confident that our commitment to deliver LNG as a marine fuel will accelerate the transition to LNG fuel as a competitive, environmentally efficient and immediately available solution for the maritime industry,” said Kenta Matsuzaka, Senior Managing Executive Officer, MOL. 

Gas Vitality is a testament of our commitment to provide our shipping customers with another major European hub to help meet their LNG bunkering needs,” said Jérôme Leprince-Ringuet, Vice-President Marine Fuels at TotalEnergies. With the accelerated pace of transition to marine LNG we are witnessing among ship owners, it shows the shipping industrys readiness to act today to curb their current greenhouse gas emissions, whilst paving the way for future, alternative fuel solutions such as bioLNG and other cryogenic fuels. We will continue to work closely with stakeholders across the value chain to expand the range of solutions that will help to decarbonize shipping,” he added.

Classed by Bureau Veritas and operated by V.Ships under the French flag, Gas Vitality will enter operational service in December 2021 and be based in the Port of Marseille-Fos, Southern France, to serve the Mediterranean region.