Italian energy company Eni will quit the LNG carrier shipowning business in the near future the company told the seafarers unions in Italy.
Sources tell Splash that Eni’s company LNG Shipping feels it is unable to compete in the increasingly competitive market, with the last two ships in its fleet the LNG Lerici and LNG Portovenere set to be sold before the end of 2018.
Both vessels had originally been deployed to transport LNG shipments for Eni from Algeria to Italy, and later chartered out to operators in Far East.
The company said two vessels are considered unfit for today’s market needs because of their size and their age.
Two other vessels owned by the company, LNG Elba and LNG Palmaria, left the Eni fleet in 2012 when they were scrapped.
