EXMAR is preparing to deploy a 146,000 cbm LNG carrier as a floating supply hub for the LNG bunkering market.
The Belgian shipping company has taken delivery of SIMAISA, a 2006-built vessel that will undergo modifications during an upcoming dry-docking.
Following the conversion, the vessel will operate as a floating transshipment unit (FTU).
Large LNG carriers will be able to discharge cargoes into the unit, from where specialised bunker vessels can load smaller parcels for delivery to LNG-fuelled ships.
EXMAR said SIMAISA has been secured under an initial seven-year charter with a “first-class counterpart”, without naming the company.
The arrangement will provide an offshore transfer point connecting conventional LNG cargo shipments with smaller-scale marine fuel deliveries.
