BW Group’s gas shipowner BW LNG has bolstered its fleet with the acquisition of two LNG carriers from Swedish tanker owner Stena Bulk.
The 2011-built tri-fuel diesel electric (TFDE) vessels Stena Crystal Sky and Stena Clear Sky have been picked up for an undisclosed sum and renamed BW ENN Crystal Sky and BW Clear Sky, respectively.
The company said the sister LNG carriers “represent excellent versatility and capability for trading, in addition to potential conversion into floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs) in the future”.
The move on 174,000 cu m units takes BW LNG’s owned fleet to 34 vessels, including four FSRUs and four ships under construction at Hanwha Ocean in South Korea. The duo will be delivered straight into their ongoing charters with TotalEnergies and China’s ENN Energy.
“This is an interesting growth opportunity for us; acquiring high specification vessels on the water with solid charters to existing key clients,” said Petter Lindvig Larssøn, executive vice president for LNG shipping at BW LNG.
Erik Hånell, president and CEO of Stena Bulk, said that the company took the decision some time ago to sell the two vessels. Following the sale, Stena Bulk will have the 2006-built 145,000 cu m Stena Blue Sky left in its LNG fleet.
“We will continue to be pragmatic about Stena Blue Sky and the opportunities that slightly rationalising our fleet will bring,” Hånell added.
