en.Wedoany.com Reported - A nearly 300-meter-long liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, the "Maran Gas Amorgos," is serving Uniper, one of Germany's largest natural gas traders, primarily transporting US LNG to Europe. Built in South Korea in 2021 and owned by Greek operator Maran Gas Maritime, the vessel has become a regular component of Europe's energy and transport logistics system.

LNG stands for "Liquefied Natural Gas." Cooling gaseous natural gas to approximately minus 162 degrees Celsius turns it into a liquid, reducing its volume by 600 times, a key prerequisite for economically viable long-distance transportation.

An LNG carrier can transport natural gas with an energy content of about one terawatt-hour, theoretically equivalent to the annual heating demand of roughly 50,000 single-family homes.

The role of LNG in Europe's natural gas supply is growing. Although most of the gas supplied to Germany still comes from pipeline connections, such as those from Norway, a significant portion now arrives in Europe by sea. LNG is unloaded in countries like Belgium and the Netherlands, where it is regasified at LNG terminals and fed into the European gas network. Since the energy crisis of 2022, Germany has also acquired its own LNG terminals on its coast.

In 2025, natural gas imported through these terminals accounted for more than one-tenth of Germany's total gas imports, almost entirely from the world's largest LNG producer, the United States.

Global LNG trade has grown significantly in recent years. According to data from analytics firm ICIS, in 2025, LNG already accounted for 44% of the natural gas supply in the 12 largest gas markets in Western and Central Europe, a record high. Simultaneously, the LNG carrier fleet is expanding, with over 700 LNG vessels currently in operation worldwide. According to the US non-governmental organization Global Energy Monitor (GEM), most vessels have a gross capacity of approximately 174,000 cubic meters, with larger vessels reaching up to 266,000 cubic meters.

This cryogenic gas is transported in large, well-insulated cargo tanks, requiring special technical safety measures. Uniper has assigned a dedicated safety engineer for its chartered vessels. "Marine Assurance Manager" Michael Cozzolino oversees tasks such as maintenance and inspections. He explains that LNG cargo begins to boil and evaporate upon loading, and "boil-off gas" must be collected to prevent excessive pressure within the cargo tanks.

Despite extensive insulation on the tank walls, heat still penetrates the liquid, generating boil-off gas that carries away heat, keeping the remaining natural gas cold and liquid. This process occurs at atmospheric pressure. Compared to the total LNG cargo, the amount of evaporated gas is minimal, approximately 0.075% per day when fully loaded. The boil-off gas generated during transport is primarily used as fuel, meaning LNG carriers sail mostly on natural gas. Niels Fenzl, responsible for LNG trading and infrastructure at Uniper, confirms this practice.

The "Maran Gas Amorgos" is powered by two two-stroke main engines, each with an output of approximately 11,755 kilowatts, with rotational motion directly transmitted to the propellers. The vessel must enter dry dock every five years for maintenance, including inspections of the hull, propellers, main engines, insulation, pumps, and safety systems. The first major overhaul lasted about three weeks.

Uniper expects further growth in LNG trade. Chief Analyst Thomas W. Thomas states that the global LNG market will grow significantly in the coming years, with most new demand coming from Asia, but LNG remains crucial for Europe's supply security. Accordingly, many new vessels are already under construction or planned. The number of LNG carriers could increase from the current over 700 to 1,000 by 2030. According to dpa reports, Uniper traded 167 LNG cargoes in 2025, compared to 360 cargoes annually before the 2022 crisis.

Environmental organizations such as Greenpeace are critical of this development. Energy expert Marina Falke points out that the large-scale expansion of infrastructure is creating new fossil fuel dependencies rather than advancing the transition to renewable energy. She also notes that most LNG imported into the EU is obtained through hydraulic fracturing, a method extremely harmful to the environment, which Germany has banned since 2017 for good reason, making the increasing import of fracked gas from other countries seem hypocritical.

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