The steel-cutting ceremony for the FLEXI LNG 7800 M3 – HYBRID project took place at the Turkish RMK Marine shipyard.
The 112.9-by-19-metre, 1A Ice Class, battery-equipped vessel is scheduled to start serving customers in the summer of 2027.
"Celsius will be different from other LNG bunker vessels since it will have a gas combustion unit [2,000 kg/h of CH4/27.7 MW and 0-100% N2] on board to assist with cool downs and gassing up. A unique service that will be offered to vessels either carrying LNG or powered by LNG," Sirius Shipping underscored in a press release.
The company's Managing Director, Jonas Backman, added, "This newbuilding project is proof that we are getting closer towards our vision - to become the long-term, first choice for our colleagues, customers, and for the society. We are proud to be able to continue the collaboration with Gasum that started in 2012 [with the LNG bunker vessel Coralius], and with this new improved LNG vessel, it will continue for decades."
Gasum's CEO, Mika Wiljanen, also shared, "Shipowners are now seeing that switching to LNG and bioLNG is one of the best ways of reducing emissions in maritime logistics already today, instead of waiting for other technologies that have not yet reached maturity or the required scale or infrastructure. This state-of-the-art bunker vessel is an important investment in our ability to continue to deliver the quality service our customers expect from us now and in the future."
Dr Utku Alanc, CEO, RMK Marine, commented, "We are proud to be the building partner of this exceptional project as we have set our vision to be a world-leading shipyard offering innovative and reliable solutions for sustainability. Celsius will be a distinguished vessel in line with this strong objective, reducing emissions. And we are very much thankful to Sirius Shipping and Gasum for taking this big initiative."
Photo: Sirius Shipping