Final piece in place: Knutsen’s ninth LNG carrier for Shell arrives

September 15, 2025, by Dragana Nikše

The French subsidiary of Norwegian shipping company Knutsen has welcomed its latest liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier that will be chartered to the U.K. energy giant Shell.

LNG carrier Zoe Knutsen; Source: Knutsen via LinkedIn

According to a social media post, Zoe Knutsen was delivered to Knutsen and will form part of its French fleet. Chartered to Shell to be part of its global LNG fleet, the 174,000 cubic meter vessel will be managed from the French player’s Nantes office.

This is the ninth and final vessel in a series of LNG carriers delivered to Shell, built by South Korea’s Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI). The naming ceremony for the LNG carrier took place on June 25, marking the culmination of what Knutsen says has been a significant and successful collaboration.

The series began with Santander Knutsen, which was delivered in June 2022. Before Zoe Knutsen, the eighth LNG carrier, Nantes Knutsen, was delivered to the shipowner a year ago, on September 13, 2024.

Knutsen’s Nantes office will also manage Wadi Al Sail, an LNG carrier to be chartered to QatarEnergy, which was set to sail from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Ulsan on August 29.

Two more LNG newbuilds making their way to QatarEnergy’s fleet

Vessels

The unit in question is the third in the company’s series of ten to be chartered to the Qatari player, following the deliveries of Mraikh in June and Mesaieed in July.