Ibaizabal Group and TotalEnergies have named a new LNG bunkering vessel set to operate in Oman under charter to the French energy major.
The vessel, Monte Shams, was built by China's Hudong Zhonghua Shipbuilding and is equipped with GTT's Mark III Flex containment system, Adnan Ezzarhouni, general manager at GTT China, said in a LinkedIn post last week.
Ship & Bunker reported in 2024 that TotalEnergies and Ibaizabal had agreed on a charter for the 18,600 m3 vessel.
Once delivered, the vessel is expected to be deployed in Oman, where TotalEnergies is developing the Marsa LNG project.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Marsa LNG plant in Sohar was held last year. The facility will have a liquefaction capacity of more than 1 million mt/year and will primarily serve regional bunker demand. Production is expected to begin in 2028.
Marsa LNG LLC is a joint venture between TotalEnergies (80%) and Omani exploration firm OQEP (20%).
