The world's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier vessel, Offshore Oil 301, completed the largest-scale single refueling in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Offshore Oil 301, which is China's first and the world's largest LNG carrier and refueling ship, refueled 4,300 tons of LNG for the German large container ship Hanoi Express at a speed of over 1,600 cubic meters per hour in one go at Hong Kong's Kwai Tsing Container Terminals.
Hanoi Express departed from Madagascar, passed through Malaysia and Singapore, and then arrived at Hong Kong's Kwai Tsing Container Terminals. After staying there for 24 hours to load and unload cargo, the ship headed to its next destination.
"Through the intelligent monitoring system, we completed the LNG refueling in just eight and a half hours. The refueling would not only meet the fuel demand of the entire voyage of the vessel, but also significantly reduced the port turnover time, setting a new record for the single refueling volume and efficiency in Hong Kong. This is the first time for a Hong Kong terminal to witness LNG refueling for ship, and also the first time that refueling and cargo handling operations were carried out simultaneously," said Kang Huahua, CFO of CNOOC Gas and Power Group.
Hong Kong is the world's seventh largest maritime fuel bunkering port.
Located in the core area of the Asia-Pacific region, Hong Kong witnesses more than 5,000 ocean-going vessels to visit it every year.
In 2024, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government issued the "Action Plan on Green Maritime Fuel Bunkering".
"This operation not only verifies the capabilities of Hong Kong terminals in cryogenic fuel operation, but also holds significant importance to consolidating and enhancing Hong Kong's status as an international shipping center. Next, we will continue to leverage CNOOC's advantages in the entire LNG industrial chain, accelerate the construction of a clean fuel supply network in Hong Kong, and carry out regular refueling services," said Kang.
Data show that the volume of LNG refueling for ships in the Greater Bay Area city cluster in south China, including Hong Kong, increased by 280 percent year on year in 2024.
It is expected that by 2025, the global demand for LNG refueling will exceed 10 million tons, and by 2030, it will grow to 30 to 45 million tons.
China's first LNG carrier vessel completes largest-scale single refueling in Hong Kong
The second round of U.S.-brokered talks between Russia and Ukraine concluded in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Thursday, with both sides agreeing to a large-scale prisoner exchange but failing to achieve substantive breakthroughs on core issues such as territorial arrangements and a ceasefire.
According to Ukraine, the talks were conducted trilaterally before moving to group consultations. Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov said the Ukrainian delegation sought a "dignified and lasting peace," without disclosing specific outcomes.
Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, said the trilateral negotiations had been truly constructive, thanking the U.S. and the UAE for their mediating roles.
Russia's presidential special envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Thursday that there was progress and a positive movement forward in peace talks with Ukraine.
The talks ended with no joint political or security statement, underscoring persistent differences between Russia and Ukraine on key matters, including territorial disputes, ceasefire arrangements, and security guarantees.
U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said representatives from the three countries reached a consensus on a prisoner swap.
In a readout of the talks he posted on social media, Witkoff described the discussions as constructive and focused on how to create the conditions for a durable peace.
The delegations had wide-ranging discussions over the past two days on the remaining open issues, including methods for implementing a ceasefire and monitoring the cessation of military activities, according to Witkoff.
He added that the United States and Russia had agreed to establish a military-to-military dialogue to be led by commander of U.S. European Command Alexus Grynkewich.
Following the talks, Russia and Ukraine conducted their first large-scale prisoner exchange in nearly five months, with each side returning 157 detainees. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said those released included both military personnel and civilians.
Zelensky also said Thursday that the next peace talks with the delegations of the U.S. and Russia will be held soon. "Further meetings are planned in the near future, likely in the United States," Zelensky said in his evening address.
However, no timetable or arrangements for a next round of talks were announced, highlighting continued uncertainty in the political settlement process.
The second round of talks began on Wednesday. The previous meeting of the trilateral working group on security issues took place from Jan 23 to 24 in Abu Dhabi. It marked the first trilateral engagement since the escalation of the conflict in February 2022, although no concrete agreement or joint statement was announced afterward.
In a statement issued earlier, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed cooperation between Russia and Ukraine on the prisoner exchange, saying it demonstrated the UAE's role as a reliable mediator in easing the crisis and promoting constructive dialogue.
2nd round of Russia-Ukraine talks ends in UAE with prisoner swap deal, key differences unresolved
