Two joint ventures have come forward for the latest round of bidding for state-run GAIL’s LNG shipping plans. GAIL is retendering a contract for nine LNG carriers to take gas from the US. MOL, NYK and trading house Mitsui & Co have formed an all Japanese bid, while GasLog has teamed with other Japanese firms K Line and trading house Mitsubishi Corporation for a rival bid, according to local media.
The deadline for tenders passed yesterday with a winning bid likely to be announced in June.
GAIL has signed up to take 5.8m metric tonnes per annum (mmtpa) of gas from the United States beginning December 2017.
The tender is for nine firm LNG carriers. Of the nine firm ships, three have to be built in India – as part of prime minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Make in India’ campaign.