On July 31, the optional vessel for the 1+1 18,600 cubic meter LNG bunkering vessel project ordered by France’s renowned energy company TotalEnergies from Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding officially took effect, marking Hudong-Zhonghua’s further expansion of its leading advantage in the bunkering vessel sector.
The shipowner for this project is the Spanish shipping company IBAIZABAL, with TotalEnergies as the operator. Hudong-Zhonghua has a long history of cooperation with TotalEnergies, having delivered two 18,600 cubic meter LNG bunkering vessels to TotalEnergies in 2021, with the construction efficiency and quality highly praised by the company.
In July last year, Hudong-Zhonghua secured an order for TotalEnergies’ latest global V3.0 version 18,600 cubic meter LNG bunkering vessel project, and the optional vessel now activated is part of this order. The first firm vessel, activated in 2024, has recently entered dock construction and is scheduled for completion in 2026. The newly activated second vessel is expected to be delivered in 2028 and will serve the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
This latest global V3.0 version 18,600 cubic meter LNG bunkering vessel has a length of 135.9 meters, a width of 24.5 meters, and a depth of 16 meters, classified by Bureau Veritas (BV). The vessel was independently developed and designed by Hudong-Zhonghua, featuring a wider bunkering range and superior performance metrics, achieving world-leading standards and showcasing the brilliance of China’s intelligent manufacturing innovation.
The vessel extensively employs green, environmentally friendly, and low-carbon equipment, making this latest global V3.0 version bunkering vessel even “greener.” Its technical highlights are mainly reflected in three aspects:
**Better Ship-Shore Compatibility.** The optimized high-and-low dual bunkering manifold platform design not only allows compatibility with more LNG shore stations but also matches LNG-powered vessels such as Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs), LR2 tankers, bulk carriers, container ships, and Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTCs), significantly enhancing the compatibility and economic efficiency of LNG bunkering vessels.
**Lower Energy Consumption and Emissions.** The vessel adopts a full-revolving electric propulsion system, with the main engine upgraded to a more efficient dual-fuel model, enabling full operational gas mode. Under design conditions, gas consumption is reduced by approximately 14%, and the engine employs technologies such as two-stage turbocharging, ensuring more complete combustion and reducing methane slip by up to 60%.
**Enhanced Energy Efficiency and Environmental Protection.** The vessel holds green classification notations such as SUSTAINABLE SHIP-1, GREEN PASSPORT EU, and CLEAN SHIP, and is equipped with environmentally friendly devices including dual-fuel engines, dual-fuel boilers, and a natural gas incineration unit supporting high-inert gas treatment. LNG spray pumps, gas pumps, and main seawater pumps all adopt energy-saving variable frequency drives, greatly improving the vessel’s energy-saving, emission-reducing, and low-carbon environmental characteristics.
It is reported that Hudong-Zhonghua secured contracts in 2018 and 2019 to build two 18,600 cubic meter LNG bunkering vessels for Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL). Both vessels were long-term chartered by TotalEnergies Marine Fuels, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, and serve as the company’s main vessel type in the LNG bunkering sector.
The first vessel—the V1.0 version “Gas Agility”—was delivered in 2020 and deployed at the Port of Rotterdam. In November of the same year, the “Gas Agility” provided LNG bunkering services at Rotterdam for the 23,000 TEU CMA CGM Jacques Saad, the world’s largest LNG dual-fuel ultra-large container ship also built by Hudong-Zhonghua and newly delivered at the time. This marked the world’s largest single LNG bunkering operation by volume in history.
In 2021, Hudong-Zhonghua delivered the second vessel in the series—the V2.0 version “Gas Vitality”—which was France’s first LNG bunkering vessel, based at the Port of Marseille-Fos in southern France to serve vessels in the Mediterranean region.
Hudong-Zhonghua will continue to provide optimal green solutions for global shipping, deliver high-quality equipment to shipowners, and contribute to the development of global green energy.
Clarksons’ data shows that, excluding the latest order, Hudong-Zhonghua currently holds a total orderbook of 84 vessels amounting to 10.36 million deadweight tons, including 55 LNG carriers and 29 container ships, with deliveries scheduled up to 2031.
