ADNOC Logistics & Services (ADNOC L&S), the shipping and maritime logistics arm of ADNOC, has announced the deployment of five new-build Very Large Gas Carriers (VLGC). The gas carriers were built at Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, China, and will be owned and operated by AW Shipping, an ADNOC L&S joint venture with Wanhua Chemical Group (Wanhua).
As natural gas plays a critical role as a lower carbon-intensity fuel for the energy transition, the VLGCs, which transport liquified petroleum gas (LPG), will provide ADNOC L&S greater flexibility to meet growing global gas demand.
The five VLGCs (Al Ain, Zakher, Rabdan, Al Salam and Baynounah), each with a capacity of 86,000 cubic meters, have dual-fuel engine technology and use LPG as their primary fuel source, making them among the lowest-emission vessels of this type.
Captain Abdulkareem Al Masabi, CEO of ADNOC L&S and Chairman of AW Shipping, said: “The addition of these new-build, lower-emission vessels to ADNOC L&S’ growing fleet of over 800 owned, operated and chartered vessels, represents another important milestone as we bolster our capacity to capitalize on growing global energy demand. Natural gas is playing an increasingly important role in the global energy landscape and ADNOC L&S is expanding its gas fleet to serve customer demand, while reducing the carbon intensity of our vessels.”
AW Shipping will own and operate the VLGCs, transporting LPG cargoes sourced from ADNOC and other global suppliers to Wanhua’s manufacturing bases in China and around the world. AW Shipping was formed in 2020 to support a 10-year LPG supply contract, signed in 2018 between ADNOC and Wanhua.
Kou Guangwu, CEO of Wanhua Chemical Group, said: “The AW Shipping JV has added great value to both Wanhua and ADNOC L&S by optimizing the supply chain. Together with ADNOC L&S, we are strongly committed to the future development of AW Shipping."
Jiangnan Shipyard, which delivered the VLGCs, is also building liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers for ADNOC L&S, scheduled for delivery in 2025 and 2026.
Lin Ou, Chairman of Jiangnan Shipyard, said: “Our VLGCs are future-oriented ships with advanced design that carry LPG dual-fuel systems and shaft generators, enabling them to meet the latest and strictest energy efficiency requirements.”