Singapore-based shipowner AET said that up to four of its new Aframax tankers currently under construction with Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) will be equipped with the LNG dual fuel systems.
“We have conducted comprehensive reviews and mapped out expected LNG bunkering infrastructure expansion across strategic locations overlapping our own fleet’s geographical trading areas,” the company said in its statement.
This expansion would ensure the security of supply and optimum operational efficiency from 2020 onwards, AET, a unit of the Malaysian shipping corporation MISC, said.
AET’s investment will see up to half of the company’s Aframax fleet to start and other assets will start adopting the LNG dual fuel option over the next few years, starting with the 113,000 dwt tanker scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2018.
Fitted with twin LNG tanks, the vessels will have the ability to trade on LNG fuel for about a month before refueling and will likely operate in North America, Northwest Europe and Asia.
The company is actively working with potential LNG suppliers to ensure the reliability of the LNG bunker supply chain globally, the statement reads.
Alongside the dual fuel LNG engines, the new Aframax vessels will be fitted with a range of eco-innovations to maximize fuel efficiency and minimize their emission impact.