The 7,990-dwt dual-fuel bunker tanker was christened Marine Vicky by her Lady Sponsor Quah Ley Hoon, chief executive of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). The ceremony was held in Nantong, China at Keppel Nantong Shipyard, wholly-owned by Keppel Offshore & Marine.
“This is Singapore’s first bunker tanker to run on LNG and signifies the momentum in the industry to adopt LNG as a marine fuel,” Quah commented.
“We are pleased to support Singapore companies such as Sinanju and Keppel O&M through the MPA LNG bunkering pilot programme. The maritime sector is evolving and through these steps, we aim to further strengthen Singapore’s offering as a global maritime hub,” she added.
Ju Kai Meng, managing director of Sinanju, said: “Sinanju is taking a bold move to pioneer the use of LNG as a clean, alternative fuel for bunker tankers in Singapore with the launch of Marine Vicky. It is an exciting beginning for our sector and I encourage more bunker tankers to be built with the view of using alternative fuels or other sustainable methods in a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and its environmental impact.”
Sinanju partnered with Mitsui & Co (Asia Pacific), the Singapore subsidiary of Japan’s Mitsui & Co, to place the bunker tanker newbuilding order with Keppel O&M.
Marine Vicky is the third dual-fuel vessel to be delivered by Keppel O&M.
The bunker tanker is equipped with a 55-cu m LNG tanker with a fuel gas supply system on deck to supply gas to the engine. The vessel is also fitted with pipelines and tanks that enable it to carry multiple grades of marine fuel cargo.
Read more: Sinanju seals charter deal with ExxonMobil for Singapore’s first LNG bunker tanker
The LNG-powered bunker tanker will commence operations in the first quarter of 2020 under a two-year time-charter agreement with ExxonMobil Asia Pacific to deliver IMO 2020 compliant 0.5% sulphur fuels.
From 1 January 2020, all ocean-going ships are required to burn marine fuels with a maximum sulphur content of 0.5% under IMO’s Marpol Annex VI regulation.
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