Steel cutting for a 20,000 m3 LNG bunkering vessel for UK-based LNG bunker supplier Avenir LNG took place on July 21 at China‘s Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering.

The vessel is the first of two units under construction, with delivery of the first ship scheduled for the end of 2026 and the second set to follow in early 2027, the firm said in a LinkedIn post on Monday.

The vessel will be chartered to Vitol International Shipping.

Avenir LNG currently owns five LNG bunkering vessels, three of which are on charter to firms including Shell, according to the company website.

Norwegian shipping firm Stolt-Nielsen recently fully acquired Avenir LNG.

The global LNG bunkering fleet is made up of 62 ships, with another 30 expected to join the fleet by 2028, according to classification society DNV data.