BW Pavilion LNG Pte. Ltd., a joint venture (JV) between BW Group and Pavilion Energy, held a shipnaming ceremony today at Hyundai Heavy Industries Shipyard for two Singapore-flagged LNG newbuildings, the BW Pavilion Vanda and BW Pavilion Leeara.

In attendance was Singapore Minister for Transport, Mr Lui Tuck Yew and his wife Madam Teng Soo Fen, and Chairman of Pavilion Energy, Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican and his wife Puan Sri Noraini Mohamed Yusoff. Madam Teng and Puan Sri are the sponsors¹ of BW Pavilion Vanda and BW Pavilion Leeara respectively.

Mr Andreas Sohmen-Pao, BW Group Chairman, said: "A shipnaming ceremony celebrates an important milestone in the life of a vessel, and I am pleased to share the occasion with our JV partner Pavilion Energy. BW Pavilion Vanda and BW Pavilion Leeara represent the JV's commitment to provide customers with high quality LNG shipping as well as tailored gas infrastructure solutions. BW looks forward to continued growth of the JV in an exciting maritime segment."

Mr Seah Moon Ming, Pavilion Energy Group Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are delighted to celebrate this occasion with BW Group. With growing Asian LNG demand, the delivery of the new LNG vessels is a significant milestone in Pavilion Energy's capability build-up, as part of our plans to be an integrated LNG company."

The Singapore-flagged LNG newbuildings will add to the JV's fleet currently on water. Classed by DNV-GL, the newbuildings feature industry-leading ecologically-friendly specifications such as low boil-off rates (BOR), hybrid low-duty (LD) compressors (which reduce the amount of fuel needed to cool the vessel's liquefied natural gas cargo), and a ballast water treatment system that is fully compliant with the International Maritime Organisation's Ballast Water performance standards. Both vessels are designed to comply with new Panama Canal requirements and are certified for possible future transit through the canal.

¹ A ship sponsor has traditionally been a female patron who is invited to christen the ship, and presumably to bestow protection and luck over the vessel and all those that sail aboard. The alternate term commonly used in place of "sponsor" is "godmother".