Nakilat, Maran expand JV to add LNG duo

Nakilat, the shipping arm of Qatar’s LNG sector, has expanded its joint venture with Greek shipping company Maran Ventures to include two new LNG vessels.

Maran Nakilat Co. Ltd. was established in 2005 with four jointly-owned vessels, and the agreement has been expanded on three occasions, Nakilat said in a statement on Tuesday.

This agreement increases the number of vessels jointly-owned by Nakilat and Maran Gas to 13, confirming Nakilat’s wholly and jointly-owned LNG fleet as the largest in the world, the shipping company said.

The two new vessels are currently under construction in South Korea and, upon delivery in the third and fourth quarters of 2015, will bring the total number of LNG and LPG ships partially or wholly owned by Nakilat to 67.

The vessels are Tri-Fuel Diesel Electric (TFDE) propulsion models with capacities of 161,870 cubic metres and 174,000 cubic metres respectively.

Image: Nakilat