Navigator Aurora, a newly built ethane carrier, the world’s largest, owned by US liquefied gas shipping company Navigator Gas, is to be chartered out to Austria-based Borealis Group.
Under the long-term charter agreement signed between the duo, the vessel will be used for transportation of ethane to Borealis production facilities in Stenungsund, Sweden.
The ship’s commercial operations are scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of 2016, when it will start sailing between the Marcus Hook refinery in Pennsylvania, US, and Stenungsund.
Featuring a length of 180 m, the tanker has a total cargo tank size of 35,000 cubic meters and can hold ethane loads of up to 20,000 tons. As a dual-fuel vessel, it can run on both diesel fuel and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The charter deal was revealed following Navigator Aurora’s naming ceremony that took place at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shangai, China, on May 3.