CAIRO: BG Egypt, a wholly owned subsidiary of BG Group plc, recently named the first Egyptian-owned Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) ship, the Methane Nile Eagle. According to a statement released to the press, the vessel is owned by Egypt LNG Shipping Ltd, whose shareholders are BG Group, Eagle Gas Shipping Co. ESA and GasLog Shipping Co. Ltd. The Methane Nile Eagle will transport LNG from the Egyptian LNG facility at Idku, west of Alexandria, to international markets. At 272 meters long with a capacity of 145,000 cubic meters of LNG, the ship is one of the largest operating within BG Group's growing global fleet. The Methane Nile Eagle is the eighth ship to be built for BG Group by Samsung Heavy Industries. The naming ceremony took place in Geoje Island, South Korea and the ship's maiden voyage was to Idku this week. BG Egypt President Ian Hewitt said, "BG has been a committed partner in Egypt for almost twenty years. The Methane Nile Eagle will play an important role in ensuring Egypt benefits from access to international gas import markets. This announcement is another milestone in the further development of our long-term commitment to the country.
