INEOS names world’s largest ethane carrier

The 99,000 cu m very large ethane carrier (VLEC) was named at ceremony in Houston on Thursday.

The vessel Pacific INEOS Belstaff is named after the Belstaff clothing brand and Fran Millar, CEO of Belstaff, named the vessel at the ceremony.

Millar said: “I am proud to be godmother to this new and innovative carrier as it becomes a part of the growing INEOS fleet. In displaying the Belstaff brand along the length of the ship it also provides Belstaff with an enormous billboard introducing our logo to some very new places around the world.”

Belstaff’s logo is emblazoned on the side of the vessel along with the hashtag #builtforlife

The vessel was built at Jiangnan Shipyard in China and operated by Pacific Gas. The Pacific INEOS Belstaff was built primarily to transport US ethane to Europe and China, but can also carry product such as ethylene and LPG.

David Thompson, CEO of INEOS Trading & Shipping, said: “Today’s ceremony is another major milestone in the expansion of INEOS’s shipping & trading capabilities. As always at INEOS we have innovated and invested in the future, so I am delighted that we now operate the world’s largest VLEC and I look forward to this vessel transporting vital feedstocks for years to come.”