Petronas LNG Ltd. takes delivery of newbuild LNG carrier Puteri Kelantan

Petronas LNG Ltd. (PLL), a subsidiary of the Malaysian energy firm Petronas, has expanded its fleet with the delivery of a new liquefied natural gas carrier. As reported by Navingo BV, the vessel, named Puteri Kelantan, was delivered on 24 September 2026. The carrier was constructed at the Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding facility in China. This addition is intended to support the company’s objective of ensuring reliable global LNG supply in response to rising international demand. The vessel is part of a series of similar ships delivered to the company earlier this year.

The Puteri Kelantan is owned by a joint venture company led by the Japanese maritime transportation firm Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, also known as K Line. A naming ceremony for the vessel took place on 2 September 2026. This ship shares the same design specifications as two other vessels that were delivered to PLL in May and June 2026. The project is supported by Bank of Communications Financial Leasing, which acted as the financier. Other participants in the joint vessel project include China Merchants Energy Shipping and China Merchants Financial Leasing, both of which were represented at the naming ceremony.

The fleet expansion will continue with the delivery of a sister vessel, the Puteri Negeri Sembilan. This ship was named alongside the Puteri Kelantan and is currently scheduled for delivery in November 2026. K Line noted that the naming convention reflects the Malay word for princess, with the vessel names referencing states in Peninsular Malaysia. These deliveries are designed to bolster the capacity of the Petronas LNG fleet and assist in the consistent supply of LNG to the company’s global customer base. The integration of these newbuilds remains a key component of the firm's ongoing logistics strategy.

The delivery of the Puteri Kelantan follows other recent activity in the LNG sector involving major Japanese shipping entities. Earlier in the year, a joint venture including K Line, Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha, China LNG Shipping, and MISC held a naming ceremony for a 174,000 cubic metre LNG vessel. That vessel, intended for QatarEnergy, was marked at the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries facility on 14 July 2026. These developments highlight the ongoing investment in new tonnage to meet the requirements of the global energy market and the expansion of LNG transportation infrastructure.

The project involving the Puteri Kelantan and its sister vessel represents a collaborative effort between Malaysian energy interests and international maritime partners. By leveraging joint ventures and financial leasing arrangements, Petronas LNG continues to modernise its fleet with high-specification newbuilds. The involvement of multiple financial and shipping stakeholders underscores the capital-intensive nature of modern LNG logistics. As global demand for liquefied natural gas remains a primary driver for the industry, the addition of these carriers provides the necessary capacity to maintain service standards and support long-term commercial objectives within the energy sector.