Titan Clean Fuels, part of the Molgas Group, has struck a long-term deal with shipowner Sogestran Group for the construction, charter, and operation of a new co-designed liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker vessel (LNGBV), adding ship-to-ship bunkering capabilities in the Western Mediterranean to complement Molgas Energy Group’s truck-to-ship operations and infrastructure.
The 6,000-cubic-meter (cbm) LNGBV has been jointly developed and designed by the duo’s teams to cater to the navigational, operational and commercial characteristics of Western Mediterranean ports, LNG reloading terminals, and receiving vessels calling at ports in the region. The vessel will be built by CIMC SOE, a Chinese shipyard specialising in small and medium-sized gas carriers.
By combining Sogestran’s experience as a ship owner and operator with Titan’s know-how in delivering LNG to all types of LNG-fuelled vessels, the partnership is engineering what it deems a pioneering LNG bunker vessel that offers a high degree of operational efficiency, versatility, and client compatibility.
Grégoire Hartig, Commercial Director at Titan, commented: “We’re excited to grow our LNG bunker vessel fleet, by expanding our capacity to cater to our clients in terms of bunkering volume and geographical location.
“LNG and LBM have proven to be the leading alternative fuels as the shipping industry continues its energy transition, and we intend to match this growing demand. We are very much looking forward to Titan, part of Molgas Group, becoming a prime LNG and LBM bunkering supplier in France and the Mediterranean.”
The vessel will be able to load LNG from a series of terminals in the Mediterranean Sea and to offer LNG and liquefied biomethane (LBM), and provide gas-up and cool-down services to LNG-fuelled vessels in major Mediterranean ports, including Fos-Marseille, Barcelona, and Genoa.
“The Mediterranean became a sulphur oxide (SOx) and Particulate Matter (PM) Emission Control Area (ECA) on 1 May 2025. This reinforces the need for LNG and LBM in the region, because compared with oil-based fuels, these methane pathway fuels can almost eliminate SOx and PM emissions, offer ECA compliance and reduce local pollutants that are harmful to human health,” underlined Titan.
The company, which portrays this investment as a clear sign of where LNG, liquefied biomethane and e-methane demand is heading, plans to operate the LNGBV throughout the Western Mediterranean. This positioning is perceived to expand Molgas’ presence in the Mediterranean Sea, adding ship-to-ship LNG and LBM bunkering services to its established truck-to-ship and broader onshore downstream LNG distribution capabilities.
The ship will join the firm’s overall fleet of eight LNG bunker vessels in operation across Northern Europe: six vessels form Titan’s fleet and two trading for Molgas Norway, reflecting the growing maritime demand for LNG and LBM, as well as anticipated future demand for e-methane.
Benoist Grosjean, Managing Director of Sogestran Shipping, remarked: “Thanks to our in-house engineering capabilities and the close collaboration established with Titan’s technical teams from the earliest stages of the project, we have been able to design a tailor-made vessel perfectly suited to the operational requirements of the Western Mediterranean.
“Its low-air-draft design will notably enable it to bunker cruise ships without the use of a pontoon. Moreover, the vessel itself will be LNG/LBM-fuelled, contributing to the decarbonisation of maritime transport.”
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