Shell to run Nakilat LNGs

Qatar Gas Transport Company (Nakilat) has appointed Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited to manage its fleet of 27 new LNG carriers in a 25-year deal.

Under the arrangement it is expected that operational management will be transferred to Nakilat within 12 years. Shell will provide a range of shipping services to Nakilat including ship management as well as the transfer of know-how and expertise to allow Nakilat to develop its own LNG ship management company in Qatar.

This new fleet of LNG vessels, currently under construction in South Korea, will be put into service over the next four years to transport gas from four of Qatar’s major LNG projects: Qatargas II Qatargas 3 and, subject to the agreement of the partners, RasGas III and Qatargas 4. These newbuildings will have capacities of approximately 215,000 cubic metres and 265,000 cubic metres.

Faisal Al Suwaidi, Vice-Chairman of Nakilat and CEO of Qatargas, said: “Our aspiration is to develop a world-class centre of excellence for LNG shipping in Qatar. To achieve this, we knew we had to partner with a world leader in the industry. We chose Shell because we believe Shell has the track record, knowledge and skills to help us reach our goal.”