Energy major Shell has signed a time-charter agreement with shipping company Purus for two new LNG bunkering vessels.

The 18,900 m3 vessels will be built at Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering in China and are scheduled for delivery in 2028, Dexter Belmar, general manager and head of global downstream LNG at Shell, said in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday.

The deal follows an earlier agreement with Ibaizabal Group for two 18,000 m3 LNG bunkering vessels currently under construction at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in South Korea, with delivery expected in 2027.

Shell currently operates 14 LNG bunkering vessels serving 28 locations across 13 countries.

The company said the four new additions will further strengthen its global LNG bunkering network, particularly in Europe, the US, the Caribbean and Singapore.

However, Shell has not confirmed where the vessels will be deployed, noting that this will depend on customer demand.

Shell projects LNG bunker demand to exceed 16 million mt/year by 2030.