Japanese shipping major Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has placed an order at South Korean yard Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) for the construction of three icebreaking LNG carriers.
The vessels will be chartered to Russian gas producer PAO Novatek for the Arctic LNG 2 project upon delivery in 2023.
The vessels will be deployed to transport LNG from a loading terminal on the Gydan Peninsula in the Russian Arctic to the floating LNG storage units (FSUs) to be installed at the transhipment terminal in Kamchatka and Murmansk, via the Northern Sea route.
“MOL will continue to actively pursue the diversification of LNG transportation to help meet the world’s growing energy demand, and contribute to the further development of the Northern Sea Route as a pioneering company in this field,” the company said in a release.
Last week, Russian owner Sovcomflot signed 30-year time charter agreements for three icebreaking LNG carriers for the Arctic LNG 2 project.
