Liquified Gas Carrier Business



A large LNG tanker named ‘CHEIKH BOUMAMA’ with bold ‘LNG’ letters on its side sails smoothly through calm waters, highlighting its role in energy transport.

Cheikh Bouamama

Dry Bulker Business
Energy Business
Product Transport Business

Activity in Africa

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), in partnership with Itochu Corporation, has collaborated with Algeria's state-owned company Sonatrach and its shipping subsidiary Hyproc to engage in an LNG (liquefied natural gas) shipping business. The joint venture, in which each company holds a 25% stake, owns one 146,000 cubic meter LNG vessel and two 75,500 cubic meter LNG vessels (as shown in the table below). These LNG vessels are leased to Sonatrach on a long-term basis and are used to transport LNG from Algeria's ports of Bethioua (Arzew) and Skikda to Europe and Turkey.

A large LNG tanker named ‘CHEIKH BOUMAMA’ with bold ‘LNG’ letters on its side sails smoothly through calm waters, highlighting its role in energy transport.
An LNG tanker is docked at a terminal with storage tanks in the background, connected by pipelines, showcasing the infrastructure and operations involved in LNG transport.
The LNG tanker ‘CHEIKH EL MOKRANI’ is shown at sea, with water cascading from the bow, illustrating the vessel’s readiness and operations in LNG transport.

Vessel Name Delivered Shipyard Tank Capacity
LALLA FATMA N'SOUMER 2004 Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. 145,000 cbm
CHEIKH EL MOKRANI 2007 Japan Marine United Corporation 75,500 cbm
CHEIKH BOUAMAMA 2008 Japan Marine United Corporation 75,500 cbm

Outline of services

The LNG tanker ‘CHEIKH EL MOKRANI’ is shown at sea, with water cascading from the bow, illustrating the vessel’s readiness and operations in LNG transport.

Cheikh El Mokrani

Demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been increasing as an environmentally friendly, clean energy source. MOL has accumulated considerable expertise in this field since 1983, when we first participated in LNG transport, and is proud to be in the forefront of LNG carrier ownership, management, and operation. In 2018, we became the first Asian shipping company to operate an ice-breaking LNG carrier for the Yamal LNG project, and pioneered the Northern Sea Route, moving ahead with our cutting-edge initiatives.

MOL manages its LNG carriers through six companies around the globe, in Tokyo, London, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Muscat (Oman), and Arzew (Algeria), maintaining safe operation with advanced transport technologies and highly skilled personnel.