Norwegian shipping company Knutsen NYK Offshore Tankers (KNOT) has bagged a contract to construct two LNG-fueled shuttle tankers from Italian oil and gas company Eni.

To be built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering in South Korea, the two new 124,000 DWT LNG fueled shuttle tankers are slated to be delivered in mid-2022.

Under time-charter contract for a maximum 10 years period, the two vessels will be deployed in the North Sea.

According to KNOT, the shuttle tankers will be able to lower emissions of CO2 equivalents considerably compared to traditional oil-fueled shuttle tankers, by using LNG as the primary fuel. The shuttle tankers from KNOT will also further use the energy recovered from volatile organic compounds.

The Norwegian shipping company said that a battery package will also be installed in the vessels to save energy during dynamic positionin operation.

Trygve Seglem – President and CEO of KNOT said: “We are pleased to announce that KNOT and ENI extend their partnership in the North Sea with two new LNG shuttle tankers. ENI, through their ownership in Vår Energi has many interests in North Sea gas and oil fields and is thus one of the major players in the area.

“This contract is the third and fourth long-term time-charter shuttle-tanker contracts between ENI and KNOT Group. We are pleased that ENI has recognized KNOT capabilities and expertise in the shuttle tanker operation with the awarding of this new contracts”

  Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, Eni, Knutsen NYK Offshore Tankers, North Sea, Norway, Shuttle tankers, South Korea, Trygve Seglem