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The Greece-flagged Maran Gas Achilles ship transported 70,000 metric tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the Thi Vai LNG warehouse, located in Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province, southern Vietnam, on July 10.

The Greece-flagged Maran Gas Achilles ship transports 70,000 metric tons of imported liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the Thi Vai LNG warehouse, located in Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province, southern Vietnam, July 10, 2023. Photo: Dong Ha / Tuoi Tre

This is the first imported LNG shipment, worth VND830 billion (US$35.2 million), that Petrovietnam Gas Joint Stock Corporation (PV GAS) has received.

The Maran Gas Achilles ship is not as large as super large container ships that often dock at the Cai Mep – Thi Vai port, with its deadweight tonnage being small as well.

However, to ensure the safety of the first LNG shipment, Vung Tau Shipping and Services JSC assigned two exceptionally experienced maritime pilots, Pham Trung Tinh and Le Ngoc Duong, to lead the ship to the port from the sea.

Two maritime pilots, Pham Trung Tinh and Le Ngoc Duong, board the Maran Gas Achilles ship to lead it to a port in Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province, southern Vietnam, July 10, 2023. Photo: Dong Ha / Tuoi Tre

In 2019, PV GAS invested nearly VND6.5 trillion ($276 million) in a project to build a system of warehouses, gas pipelines, and storage tanks in the province, with the storage tanks valued at VND6.135 trillion ($261 million).

According to PV GAS, this is the first time that LNG has been used as an alternative fuel in Vietnam, while this has been applied in many countries in the world for a long time.

The use of LNG will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent, compared to the utilization of coal and petroleum.

Two maritime pilots, Pham Trung Tinh and Le Ngoc Duong, board the Maran Gas Achilles ship to lead it to a port in Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province, southern Vietnam, July 10, 2023. Photo: Dong Ha / Tuoi Tre

LNG, whose main component is methane, is natural gas that has been cooled to a liquid state at around -162 degrees Celsius. LNG is clear, colorless, and odorless.

The volume of natural gas in its liquid state is some 600 times smaller than its volume in its gaseous state, thereby making it possible to transport natural gas to places pipelines cannot reach.

The LNG Thi Vai warehouse, whose capacity is one million metric tons per year, is capable of receiving ships carrying up to 100,000 metric tons of LNG.

PV GAS is set to expand the warehouse’s capacity to three million metric tons per year in the near future.​