Keppel unit in US secures US$400m contract to build two LNG vessels

KEPPEL Offshore & Marine's wholly owned unit in the US has clinched a contract worth over US$400 million from a Honolulu-based ocean shipping firm to build two Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) fuelled containerships.

The dual fuel LNG vessels for Pasha Hawaii will be built to Keppel's proprietary design with the first and second vessel expected to be delivered in the first and third quarter of 2020 respectively, said Keppel Corp on Thursday.

Customised to Pasha Hawaii's requirements, the new, 774-foot Jones Act vessels will be able to carry 2,525 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), including a fully laden capacity of 500 45-foot containers, 400 refrigerated containers, and 300 40-foot dry containers, with a sailing speed of 23 knots.

The ship's hull has been fully optimised using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and will be one of the most hydrodynamically efficient hulls in the world, said the company.

The contract is not expected to have a material impact on Keppel Corp's net tangible assets or earnings per share for the current financial year.