Nakilat adds to fleet through new JV with Angelicoussis

L to R: Nakilat CEO Abdullah Al Sulaiti and Chairman of Maran Gas, Mr John Angelicoussis

Doha, Qatar, based Nakilat (Qatar Gas Transport Company) is again adding to its LNG carrier fleet through a new joint venture with long time partner Maran Ventures, the LNG ship-owning arm of the Angelicoussis Group.

The new JV — Global Shipping Co. Ltd. — will be owned 60% by Nakilat and 40% by Maran and will own four LNG carriers, effectively increasing the Nakilat fleet to 74 ships, or around 11.5% of the world LNG carrier fleet in terms of carrying capacity.

According to Nakilat CEO, Eng. Abdullah Al Sulaiti, the four new ships are currently under construction in Korea and will each be of 174,000 cu.m capacity, Two will have MAN B&W ME-GI engines, while two will have WinGD X-DF engines.

“This agreement is a step forward for the company as we expand our fleet with additional capacity to meet the growing international demand for clean energy,” he said. “This has subsequently led to a significant increase in demand for LNG shipping, which we hope will have a positive effect on charter rates. With the four new vessels being managed and marketed by Nakilat, this not only affirms our global leadership in energy transportation but also bears testament to our vessel management and marketing capabilities with the world’s largest LNG fleet.”

Chairman of Maran Ventures, John Angelicoussis said, “Nakilat has been one of our strategic partners for many years and we are pleased to be strengthening our relationship with them. Through this new venture, I am confident that we will continue to provide first-class services together for all our LNG customers around the world and look forward to further collaborations in the future.”