CIMC SOE starts work on Avenir LNG bunker vessel

China’s Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering (CIMC SOE) said it has begun construction on a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker supply vessel for Avenir LNG.

Small-scale LNG firm Avenir LNG has ordered six vessels from CIMC SOE, with four complete from an initial order. CIMC SOE published an update on the steel-cutting ceremony for the fifth 20,000-m³ vessel, noting the vessel is the first under construction from a second, two-vessel order that came from Avenir in 2024.

According to Avenir, the vessel is destined for a seven-year charter with European multinational energy trading company Vitol, with three years of optional extensions on the charter agreement. Avenir lists the vessel’s delivery date as 2026, with the second vessel in the order currently set for delivery in 2027, with no charterer attached.

As for the vessels’ specifications, CIMC SOE said, "The ship is 160 m in length, 25 m in width, and has a designed speed of 15 knots. It is not only equipped with a WinGD dual-fuel main engine with iCER technology, but also can be equipped with an optional high-voltage shore power system in the future, which can significantly reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions during the lifecycle of the ship, and effectively respond to the increasingly stringent environmental protection demands of the global shipping industry."

Avenir LNG and CIMC Sinopacific Offshore Shipbuilding company leaders and project team members attended the steel-cutting ceremony.

Norwegian shipowning and maritime operations conglomerate Stolt-Nielsen Gas, part of the Stolt-Nielsen group, took full control of Avenir LNG in April 2025 after it initiated a compulsory share acquisition for the remaining 5% stake in the small-scale LNG bunkering and supply vessel owner. Stolt-Nielsen founded Avenir LNG alongside partners Höegh and Golar LNG, and initiated a share-buy for Golar LNG’s stake in January 2025.