MOL names first LNG-powered VLCC for charter with Equinor

Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has held a naming ceremony for its new LNG-fueled very large crude carrier (VLCC) to be chartered by Norway-based energy giant Equinor.

The ceremony for newbuild Energia Viking took place on July 29 at the Dalian COSCO KHI Ship Engineering (DACKS) in China, marking the delivery of MOL’s first of three LNG dual-fuel VLCCs for charter with Equinor.

Scheduled for official handover at the end of 2025, Energia Viking features a length of about 339.5 meters and a breadth of about 60 meters.

The newbuild is equipped with an LNG fuel tank with a capacity exceeding 10,000 cubic meters, enabling long-distance transportation and allowing for flexible transport plans, MOL said.

Aiming to operate 90 LNG/methanol-fueled vessels by 2030, the Japanese company currently has around 40 LNG-fueled vessels being developed, including the Energia Viking, and six VLCCs to be delivered one after another starting in 2025.

In addition to three VLCCs slated to operate under a charter agreement with Equinor, earlier this year, MOL ordered a new LNG-fueled VLCC for a long-term time charter contract with compatriot ship manager and operator Idemitsu Tanker.

The 309,000 dwt vessel will be built at DACKS in China and delivered in 2027 as the first dual-fuel VLCC to be chartered to a Japanese oil company.