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Danish firm Evergas - formerly Eitzen Gas and Eitzen Ethylene Carriers – has entered into building contracts with Sinopacific Offshore and Engineering, China, for the construction of state-of-the-art medium-sized liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.

According to Evergas, the 27,500-cubic metre (cbm) LNG-powered vessels will be built with "unrivalled specifications matching the highest environmental and efficiency performance measures".

The contracts come as a result of Evergas securing 15-year shipping agreements with Ineos Europe for the transportation of ethane into Europe from the US Mariner East project. Under the agreements, Evergas will build and operate new customized vessels that will be dedicated to the transportation of ethane from Marcus Hook, US to Rafnes, Norway.

Commenting on its role in meeting the needs of Ineos, Evergas said: "Expanding upon the relations of more than a decade it has been paramount for Evergas to develop a flexible solution that supports Ineos’ competitive business model and specific requirements."

David Thompson, Procurement & Supply Chain director at Ineos Olefins & Polymers North said: "These shipping agreements are the final piece of the Mariner East project, allowing Ineos to import competitively priced ethane to our Rafnes cracker from the US. Evergas’ proposed solution matches perfectly our needs and offers innovative solutions such as the dual-fuel capability. We look forward to a mutually successful long-term relationship."

Martin Ackermann, CEO of Evergas, said: "Strong relations and the open mind and willingness to look to the future by INEOS has been imperative for our ability to develop innovative and technically advanced vessels offering safe, flexible, green and efficient transport solutions to the benefit of all involved parties."

Commenting on the outlook for the gas transportation industry, Evergas said: "A relentless increase in the world’s demand for energy and with gas rapidly replacing other fossil fuels in the global energy mix the demand growth for marine gas transportation is expected to be strong in the years ahead. Demand growth is further spurred by significant expected changes in demand for shale gas driven transportation, demand for gas as a marine fuel and development of short-haul marine redistribution networks. It is the clear strategy of Evergas to further develop and grow its presence."

Evergas is amongst the world’s leading seaborne transporters of petrochemical gases and natural gas liquids. The company's petrochemical gases fleet comprises 5 ethylene carriers of 10-17,000 cbm, whilst 12 new buildings of 12,000-17,000 cbm, including options, are under construction and will be delivered as from March 2013.

Within natural gas liquids, 6 owned fully pressurized vessels of 5,000 cbm are managed by GasChem Services, whilst the LNG fleet will be managed by Evergas.