Exmar Deploys Floating Transshipment Unit for LNG Bunkering Market

Belgian shipping company Exmar has taken delivery of an LNG carrier called Simaisa, which will be converted into a floating transshipment unit (FTU) for the LNG bunkering market. The 146,000-cubic-meter vessel is secured under a seven-year charter contract.

The FTU will receive large parcels of LNG from trading vessels and then supply specialized LNG bunkering vessels that will fuel ships using LNG as their primary fuel source.

Exmar's CEO, Carl-Antoine Saverys, sees the FTU as a smart solution for reducing logistics costs in the LNG bunkering market. He notes that Exmar is exploring multiple decarbonization pathways for the shipping industry, including the use of dual-fuel ammonia midsize gas carriers.