Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M) named Singapore’s first dual-fuel bunker vessel under construction at the Keppel Nantong shipyard in China.
The vessel named Marine Vicki is owned and will be operated by Sinanju Tankers Holdings, and is set to deliver marine fuels to ocean-going vessels within Singapore port limits, Keppel said in its statement.
Speaking at the naming ceremony, Quah Ley Hoon , CEO of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), said “this is Singapore’s first bunker tanker to run on LNG and signifies the emphasis that Singapore is placing on developing Singapore into an LNG bunkering hub as the industry gains momentum to adopt LNG as a marine fuel.”
She noted that MPA partnered Keppel O&M and Sinanju through the MPA LNG bunkering pilot programme, as it aims to further strengthen Singapore’s offering as a global maritime hub and an LNG hub.
Built to the requirements of classification society, Bureau Veritas, the 7,990 DWT vessel will be Sinanju’s first dual-fuel bunker tanker. Measuring 103 meters in length and 19 meters width, it is equipped with a 55 cubic meter LNG tank with a fuel gas supply system on deck to supply gas to the engine.
The vessel is also fitted with pipelines and tanks that enable it to carry multiple grades of marine fuel cargo.
Keppel O&M has delivered two dual-fuel harbour tugs, including South East Asia’s first, and is currently building eight dual-fuel vessels. Keppel O&M is also promoting LNG as a marine fuel through its joint venture with Shell Eastern Petroleum, FueLNG, a licensed LNG bunker supplier in Singapore providing truck and vessel LNG bunkering solutions.