Purus Marine has ordered two LNG bunker vessels in China, marking its entry into the rapidly expanding market.
The Singapore-based outfit, with over 70 ships across clean energy and offshore segments, will see the 18,900 cu m dual-fuel newbuilds constructed at Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering (SOE), part of CIMC Enric, and delivered in 2028.
Both units have been fixed on time charter to Shell, which continues to expand its global LNG bunkering footprint. The energy major already operates 14 LNG bunker vessels across 28 ports in 13 countries and also has two 18,000 cu m bunker ships under construction at HD Hyundai Mipo Dockyard with Spain’s Ibaizabal Group, due for delivery in 2027.
Dexter Belmar, vice president of global downstream LNG at Shell, said the new ships will bolster supply in key hubs including Europe, the US, the Caribbean, and Singapore. “With marine LNG demand projected to exceed 16m tonnes per annum by 2030, these investments expand capacity and improve accessibility of LNG and bio-LNG globally,” he said.
The Purus deal forms part of a wider contracting wave for CIMC Enric, which has also booked two firm plus two optional 20,000 cu m LNG bunkering vessels from GSX Energy, also for delivery in 2028. According to shipbuilding data, 2025 has already set a record for LNG bunker vessel orders, with 23 units totalling about 430,000 cu m contracted so far, surpassing the previous annual high of 15 units in 2024.
