Avenir's LNG subsidiary, Avenir (L) Pte Ltd, has received delivery of Avenir Advantage, Malaysia's first dedicated LNG supply vessel, from Keppel Offshore & Marine's Nantong Shipyard in Jiangsu Province, China.

Following its maiden voyage, Avenir Advantage will begin a three-year charter agreement to Petronas LNG Sdn Bhd of Malaysia, supplying LNG to fuel ships operating in the region and delivering bulk cargoes directly to small-scale customers. This will support the expansion of LNG as a fuel and the use of cleaner burning natural gas for power generation and industrial applications.

With an overall length of 123.44 m and a draft of 5.65 m, the Avenir Advantage is the first of two vessels ordered from the Keppel Nantong shipyard. Each vessel has two IMO Type C tanks with a total cargo capacity of 7,500 m3.

"With the delivery of the Avenir Advantage, we move one step closer to realizing our shareholders' vision of creating a small-scale LNG supply and marketing portfolio."

"The flexible design of our vessels allows us to support the development of the LNG bunker fuel market while adding to the global small-scale supply fleet, supporting our strategic objective of supplying natural gas to areas that would otherwise be inaccessible".

Milorad Doljanin, executive director of Avenir-

Avenir LNG is currently building a fleet of six LNG bunker vessels with capacities ranging from 7,500 m3 to 20,000 m3 and the HIGAS small-scale LNG import facility, with storage of 10,800 m3, in Oristano, Sardinia. Avenir LNG has an 80% stake in the facility, with local partners Gas & Heat and CPL Concordia, each with an equal stake in 10%. The terminal is currently under construction and is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2021.

Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering Co Ltd has been contracted to build two LNG coal tankers, each with a capacity of 7,500 m3, and two LNG coal tankers, each with a capacity of 20,000 m3. All vessels are being built to the DNV GL class.