(14 Dec 2023, Hong Kong) — CIMC Enric Holdings Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively, “CIMC Enric” or “Company”) (Hong Kong stock code: 3899.HK) are pleased to announce that Nantong CIMC SinoPacific Offshore & Engineering Co., Ltd. (“SOE”), a subsidiary of the Company, has signed a contract order for a 12,500m³ liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel with Scale Gas, a Spanish shipowner. SOE will conduct the concept design and production design of the vessel in-house.
Founded in 2017, Scale Gas is a small-scale LNG and renewable gas infrastructure independent owner and operator leader in Spain and the west Mediterranean. Scale Gas owns and operates 2 LNG bunkering vessels, 1 LNG small-scale terminal and over 20 CNG/LNG and H2 refuelling stations.
With a total LNG cargo capacity of 12,500m³ and excellent manoeuvrability, this vessel can meet the high requirements of LNG refuelling for ship controlling. Additionally, the vessel will be designed to fulfil the latest regulations enforced for vessels in the gas transportation and refuelling sectors.
As the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) global shipping greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies continue to advance, the demand for new energy ships will rise. In the context of accelerating the transformation of green and low-carbon shipping, shipbuilding might usher in a new rapid development. As a clean energy source, LNG is one of the most widely used new ship fuels, as its greenhouse gas emissions from combustion are much lower than those of traditional fossil fuels. Clarksons’ latest data showed that clean energy-powered vessel orders accounted for about 92% of new vessel orders and LNG-powered vessels accounted for about 70% of new vessel orders in October 2023.
Benefitting from the industry’s high boom growth brought by the green upgrades of global shipping, SOE has secured nearly 20 shipbuilding orders for liquefied gas vessels, clean energy-powered vessels and bunkering vessels this year. The orders for marine LNG fuel tanks and liquid cargo tanks have also substantially increased, with the Company's overall backlog orders for offshore clean energy business amounting to nearly RMB10 billion as of now.
Mr. Gao Wenbao, Vice President of CIMC Enric and General Manager of SOE, commented, “SOE will take the sufficient vessel orders as an opportunity to continue strengthening lean production and actively promote the R&D and iterative upgrading of low-carbon and zero-carbon emission vessel types in the future.”
