Maersk lines up order for 10 very large ammonia carriers as it dives back into gas - TradeWinds
Maersk lines up order for 10 very large ammonia carriers as it dives back into gas | TradeWinds
Danish shipping giant AP Moller-Maersk is swerving back into gas shipping as it lines up an order for up to 10 very large ammonia carriers, or VLACs, worth about $1.1bn.
Newbuilding sources said Moller-Maersk has signed a letter of intent with South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries to build four firm vessels of around 93,000-cbm which are capable of carrying a full cargo of ammonia.
Related Knowledge Center: Liquefied natural gas
Driven by plentiful natural gas produced from shale plays, the United States began exporting liquefied natural gas in 2016 when the Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana opened and shipped its first cargo. Since then, additional capacity, or trains, have been added to Sabine Pass, and terminals have become operational in Cameron Parish, La.; Hackberry, La.; Cove Point, Md.; and Corpus Christi, Texas. The Energy Information Administration projects that U.S. LNG export capacity will reach 8.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) by the end of 2019, making it the third largest in the world, behind Australia and Qatar. The tariff war with China has the potential to impact some final investment decisions for additional terminals in the coming months.