Naming Ceremony held for 2 Newbuilding LNG carriers to serve QatarEnergy: REX TILLERSON and UMM GHUWAILINA
TOKYO : Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. announced that on September 10, the naming ceremony of the new LNG carriers REX TILLERSON and UMM GHUWAILINA-the first and second vessels, respectively, built and chartered as part of QatarEnergy‘s historic LNG fleet expansion program, was held at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd. shipyard in China.
The first vessel was named the REX TILLERSON and the second the UMM GHUWAILINA, at a naming ceremony witnessed by H.E. Mr. Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs, the President and CEO of QatarEnergy, Mr. Takeshi Hashimoto, the President & CEO of MOL, and special guests, dignitaries and a delegation from QatarEnergy, MOL, and Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard. The REX TILLERSON is named in honor of the former Chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil, and who, during his tenure, made significant contributions to the development of Qatar’s LNG industry. The UMM GHUWAILINA was named after a historic district in Doha, the capital of the State of Qatar. Both vessels will be under long-term charter contracts with QatarEnergy.
In the “BLUE ACTION 2035” management plan launched in March 2023, the MOL Group is pursuing business portfolio reforms to ensure profitability even during shipping recessions by increasing the weight of non-shipping businesses and expanding stable revenue businesses, and the expansion of the LNG carrier fleet, including this project, is part of that initiative.
MOL will leverage its experience and expertise as one of the world’s largest shipping companies to develop various social infrastructure businesses, technologies, and services, centering on ocean transport, to meet the needs of a wide range of customers throughout the group. It aims to become a global social infrastructure company, a strong and resilient corporate group that supports people’s daily lives from the blue oceans, ensures a prosperous future, and delivers new value to all of its stakeholders.
(Note) For details, please refer to the April 14, 2022, press release: “MOL and QatarEnergy Sign Long-term Charter Deal for Four Newbuilding LNG Carriers.” In addition to these four vessels, MOL has also signed long-term charter contracts for three additional vessels in November 2022. For details, please refer to the November 10, 2022 press release: “MOL and QatarEnergy Sign Long-term Charter Deal for Three Newbuilding LNG Carriers.”