TMS Group takes lease on LNG carrier newbuild

Greece’s TMS Group has agreed to a leasing deal on a long-term chartered LNG carrier with Japan’s SBI Leasing Services and French bank BNP Paribas.

The lease was agreed with TMS Group subsidiary LNG Ships, which is registered in the Marshall Islands as the company’s LNG division. TMS Group currently counts 17 LNG carriers among its fleet and fleet-on-order that totals 181 vessels.

The vessel under lease is the LNG carrier newbuild Athos LNG, which was delivered in September 2024. The LNG carrier is described as "equipped with a cutting-edge, high-performance engine that complies with environmental regulations such as those for reducing greenhouse gas emissions". 

Athos LNG is set for a long-term charter with Osaka Gas International Transport Co, the Japanese subsidiary that handles LNG maritime transport for Japan’s Daigas Group. 

"In recent years, the demand for LNG has been increasing due to the growing demand for environmentally friendly clean energy and rising geopolitical risks in various countries around the world. The market price of LNG ships that transport LNG by sea has also risen, and the LNG ship business is positioned as a growth field, with stable demand expected in the future," SBI Leasing said in a statement on the agreement.
"We decided to take on this project because we believe it is not only a good project for the TMS Group, but also contributes to the Japanese economy by providing a stable supply of energy, and provides investors with further opportunities for ESG investment to contribute to the sustainable development of society and the improvement of the global environment," the company said.