Hong Kong-based Wah Kwong Maritime Transport has taken delivery of the LNG-ready LR2 tanker Frontier Venture, the first vessel in its newbuild series to demonstrate Bureau Veritas’ Group 3 'augmented ship' capabilities under the SMART framework.

Built by Hengli Shipyard in Dalian, the 114,000-deadweight-tonne (DWT) vessel was delivered on 30 March. It has been assigned the SMART(H1,M1,EnE3,MH3) notations by Bureau Veritas, recognising enhanced capabilities in machinery health monitoring and energy efficiency optimisation.

According to the announcement, the Group 3 designation reflects the combination of advanced onboard digital systems with shore-based support. The vessel also features expert-in-the-loop services designed to provide early detection of machinery anomalies and recommendations for more efficient operating profiles.

Frontier Venture is the first vessel in the series under construction at Hengli Shipyard, with a second LR2 expected to be delivered in July 2026. The ship has a length of 248.8 metres, a breadth of 44.0 metres and a depth of 21.5 metres. It is powered by an Everllence B&W main engine rated at 10,800 kW SMCR, meets EEDI Phase III requirements and has an LNG-ready design. The vessel is also fitted with three cargo oil pumps, each with a capacity of 3,000 cbm per hour.

Wah Kwong’s work with Bureau Veritas on SMART notations began in 2023, when the CROWN+ Ultramax bulk carrier Eastern Venture became the first newbuild worldwide to receive the BV SMART(EnE1) notation on delivery. Since then, the company’s fleet has progressed from Group 1 foundational onboard digital systems to the more advanced Group 3 capabilities now demonstrated on Frontier Venture.

The wider programme includes seven SMART-enabled vessels across multiple ship types, including LNG carriers under construction at Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company (DSIC) and bulk carriers at New Dayang Shipyard, with deliveries scheduled from 2026 to 2027.

Bureau Veritas said the SMART notations are awarded following verification, validation, testing and audit procedures. The aim of the third-party recognition is to reinforce confidence in the reliability and integrity of digital capabilities deployed on board and supported from shore.

Hing Chao, Chairman of Wah Kwong Maritime Transport, commented: “The SMART notations awarded to our first LR2 mark a key milestone in our long-term partnership with Bureau Veritas and demonstrate how we translate innovation into fleet-wide progress. BV continues to set a higher bar for the governance of digital capability, and together we have advanced through the SMART framework in recent years—ensuring that data-driven insights are effectively embedded in operations onboard and ashore. This supports a future where trusted data and digital technologies enable the sector to collaborate more closely and move faster towards an intelligent, sustainable, maritime world.”

Alex Gregg-Smith, President, Marine & Offshore at Bureau Veritas, stated: “The maritime sector is undergoing profound transformation, in which digitalisation continues to play a central role. As with any major transition, building trust in new technologies is essential. Bureau Veritas has been a strong and forward-thinking partner to Wah Kwong in helping advance the deployment of voluntary SMART notations to help build confidence in the digital solutions across the industry. From early advances in energy efficiency monitoring to the integration of sophisticated smart systems across multiple vessel types, this collaboration demonstrates how shipowners, classification societies, and technology providers can work together to enable safer, more efficient operations through data-driven technologies.”

Wah Kwong Maritime Transport is a family-owned integrated shipping company based in Hong Kong, with offices in Shenzhen, London, Genoa, Singapore and Dalian. The company has four main business streams: ship owning, ship management, dry bulk operating and energy.