RIL takes delivery of world’s first very large ethane carrier

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said the newbuilding very large ethane carrier Ethane Crystal has been delivered by Samsung Heavy Industries on Wednesday, November 9, to India’s Reliance Industries.

RIL appointed MOL to undertake site supervision and operation as well as ship management of its newbuilds, MOL said in its statement on Thursday.

The naming ceremony for the vessel featuring GTT’s Mark III membrane containment system was held at the end of October at SHI’s Geoje shipyard.

Ethane Crystal is the first of six VLECs ordered by RIL at SHI in July 2014.

The vessels will be used to transport ethane from the United States to India, and according to MOL’s statement, they are the largest tankers ever built to transport ethane.

MOL also added it will be the first company to operate such very large ethane carriers.

The ethane transported by the VLECs will be used as a feedstock in large petrochemical complexes owned and operated by Reliance.