Petronas partners Argo and Eastport to provide LNG ship-toship transfer services in Labuan

KUALA LUMPUR: Petronas LNG Ltd ( PLL), a subsidiary of Petronas LNG Sdn Bhd ( PLSB), signed a two-year Service Agreement with Argo Engineering Sdn Bhd (Argo) and Eastport Marine Sdn Bhd ( Eastport) to provide liquefied natural gas ( LNG) ship-toship transfer services in Labuan, Malaysia.

The ship-to-ship transfer is the transfer of LNG between two vessels positioned alongside each other. Ship- to- ship transfer allows flexibility of cargo delivery especially for small- scale LNG requirements.

Signing on behalf of PLL was its Chairman, Ahmad Adly Alias while Argo was represented by Ir. Kamarulbahrin Saidin, Managing Director of Argo and Eastport was represented by Datuk Captain Walter Nair, Managing Director of Eastport.

Also present to witness the signing were PLL head of Fleet Management, Mohd Hanafi Jamal and Datuk Mohd Basri Abd Gafar, chairman of Argo, together with Noraiyathi Hj Abu Bakar, director of Argo, and Benjamin Nair, executive director of Eastport.

“This ship-to-ship transfer service agreement is Petronas’ first collaboration in providing flexible delivery solutions that goes beyond the conventional selling and delivering of LNG,” said Adly.

“LNG ship-to-ship transfer services is an emerging trend to cater to the needs of small scale LNG requirements,” he added.

Combining Argo and Eastport’s shipping expertise with Petronas’ LNG strong portfolio, the partnership will enable PLL to respond to new market requirements in the changing LNG industry landscape which includes LNG shipping solutions.

Argo has vast experience in LNG shipping operations supported by a network of experienced technical personnel in the LNG shipping industry, while Eastport have expertise in handling bunkering and ship-to- ship operations, in addition to possessing the sole license to provide LNG bunkering and ship-to- ship services at Brunei Bay, Labuan. — Bernama