DIF Capital Partners, through its DIF Core Infrastructure Fund I (DIF CIF I), has signed final documentation alongside ship-owner Geogas Maritime and Access Capital Partners to acquire a 50 percent stake in a French company that will own and operate a fleet of five planned LNG carriers.
The remaining 50 percent will be held by Japanese shipping and logistics company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha.
"This is an excellent opportunity for DIF CIF I to invest in high quality assets and grow DIF’s footprint into the expanding LNG sector alongside strong and experienced counterparties,” said Thomas Vieillescazes, head of France. “We’re also very proud to participate in a strategic project for the further development of the French LNG sector.”
The five 174,000 cbm vessels will be built by South Korean shipyards and equipped with state-of-the-art LNG-fueled propulsion technology, with the first ship to become operational in April 2020.
The vessels will be
