Haugesund-headquartered shuttle tanker and LNG carrier operator Knutsen OAS Shipping has won a long-term charter contract from Italian energy company Edison for a new LNG carrier.

Edison signed the deal at the shipowner’s headquarters in Haugesund, Norway.

The newly built 174,000 cubic meter carrier will be constructed by Hanwha Ocean at Geoje (Okpo), in South Korea and will be chartered to Edison’s from 2028.

The vessel will join Edison’s fleet for the management and supply of LNG cargoes under long term FOB (Free on Board) contracts, a component that is set to grow in the coming years, in line with the Group’s transition strategy, Edison said in its release.  

The LNG carrier will be equipped with four latest-generation membrane tanks, a dual-fuel propulsion system (LNG and marine diesel), shaft generators, and a full reliquefaction system.

The collaboration between the two groups began in 2018 with the construction of a 30,000 cubic meter capacity vessel.

The Ravenna Knutsen, as the ship is called, is an LNG carrier used by the Group to supply the Corsini port in Ravenna with a small-scale depot dedicated to sustainable mobility and to refuel (bunkering) other ships with LNG.

“The expansion of our fleet, thanks to our valuable collaboration with Knutsen OAS Shipping, will enable us to manage the growing volumes of LNG that will enter our portfolio in the coming years, increasing our ability to promptly adapt supply to the demands of international markets and customers, benefiting the system’s liquidity and competitiveness, as well as the energy transition targets,” said Fabio Dubini, executive vice president of gas & power portfolio management & optimisation at Edison.