MOL, Karpower Announce LNG to Powership Project in Mozambique

Japanese shipping firm Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) and Turkish utility Karadeniz Holding have agreed to carry out an LNG to power ship project in Mozambique, MOL said August 30 in a statement.

MOL and Karpower International, a subsidiary of Karadeniz, have agreed to jointly carry out the first LNG to power ship project under the co-brand Karmol in Mozambique and for this purpose jointly own and operate a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) and a power ship, MOL said.

This LNG to power ship project consists of the collaborative operations of the FSRU to deliver regasified LNG and the power ship to receive regasified LNG in order to produce electricity, which will be subsequently provided to Electricidade de Mocambique (EDM), the Mozambican state-owned utility.

The decision to collaborate in the LNG to power ship business under the brand name of Karmol was announced in March last year. MOL said the FSRU is now being converted from an existing LNG carrier. The power ship is currently operating with heavy fuel oil in Nacala, but in accordance with the prior arrangement with EDM, it will be switched to operation with LNG after the FSRU delivery, MOL said.