Celsius Tankers (Celsius), part of the Danish headquartered Celsius Shipping, confirmed today the ordering of four highly efficient, modern LNG carriers to be constructed by China Merchants Heavy Industry, Jiangsu, China (CMHI) with deliveries scheduled to take place during 2026 and 2027.
The new order for four vessels at CMHI will be similar to the “ultra eco” Celsius vessels of 180,000 cbm presently on order in Korea, and with improvements for emissions and reduced fuel consumption as the new vessels will be fitted with ME-GA propulsion. The vessels will be built to ABS class with Enviro+ notation for improved criteria for environmental protection.
The company mentions that with this transaction, the Celsius Tankers’ LNG fleet now counts 18 x 180,000 CBM vessels technically managed in-house by Celsius Tech Limited.
This newbuilding order will further expand the Celsius partnership with Gunvor Group Ltd (Gunvor) in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector, as Gunvor will charter all four LNG carriers which will enter long-term time charters with Clearlake Shipping, being a subsidiary of Gunvor.
Celsius also announces that it has formed a joint venture with an affiliate of ArcLight Capital Partners (ArcLight), a leading middle-market infrastructure investor, to fund two of the LNG carriers.
Gunvor will have a significant equity interest in the other two newbuildings, the first for any independent LNG trading company, demonstrating the strength of Gunvor’s global position in the LNG market, as the company claims.
“We are very pleased to continue the growth of the LNG fleet and to expand the relationship with Clearlake and Gunvor. Celsius Copenhagen, our first LNG carrier, was delivered to Clearlake in 2020, and the relationship with Clearlake has further strengthened with this latest transaction. We are very pleased to further develop this business and to continue to deliver competitive and efficient services to Clearlake and Gunvor Group Ltd,” said Jeppe Jensen, Celsius Chairman.
“We are very pleased to further expand our relationship with Celsius while demonstrating our commitment to the industry, both as charterers and now through our first major equity investment in LNG carriers. Importantly, these vessels are in line with Gunvor’s commitment to cut Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 40% by 2025. We have further committed to convert 100% of our fleet to eco-vessels by 2027. Gunvor imposes strict Carbon Intensity ratings in our vetting process, and these efficient vessels are critical for Gunvor as we strive to deliver physical energy to our customers with the lowest possible carbon footprint,” commented Kalpesh Patel, Gunvor Co-Head of LNG.
“This investment is highly complementary to ArcLight’s thesis in strategic natural gas infrastructure. We are excited to partner with Celsius, a highly sophisticated ship owner and operator with industry leading ESG credentials,” commented Lucius Taylor, ArcLight Partner.
