Exxon invites shipyard bids for gas carriers

Exxon Mobil Corp., operator of a planned $11 billion LNG project in Papua New Guinea, said it will invite shipyards and vessel owners to take part in a tender for the supply of gas carriers to transport the fuel. Pre-qualification for the tender and decisions on the required number and size of vessels will be completed by the end of the year, Exxon said.

LNG demand is set to increase by more than 4% annually to reach almost half a billion metric tonnes a year by 2030, about 15% of global gas demand, Exxon estimates. The 6.3 million-tons-a-year Papua New Guinea project is scheduled to start shipments in late 2013 or 2014.