Türkiye’s BOTAS eyes LNG fleet expansion to meet global energy demand: Report
A close-up view of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage tank, accessed on Mar. 25, 2025. (Adobe Stock Photo)
Türkiye’s state-owned pipeline operator, BOTAS, is seeking to acquire or lease two liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier vessels and is initiating several negotiations in this regard, business-focused Bloomberg reported.
According to Bloomberg, a document obtained from the officials reveals that BOTAS invited market participants in February to submit indicative offers either to lease or sell LNG vessels.
The deadline for submitting proposals was set for mid-March.
The vessels will primarily be used to transport LNG from the U.S. to Türkiye under recently signed long-term contracts set to begin in 2027, the document states. However, they may also be deployed to pursue commercial opportunities in other regions, including Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
The global energy sector anticipates year-by-year growth in LNG exports driven by rising demand from emerging markets in Asia, according to the International Gas Union. British oil giant Shell also expects global LNG demand to increase by around 60% by 2040.
The tender requested charter offers for vessels with capacities ranging from 160,000 to 185,000 cubic meters for periods between one and ten years, as well as sales offers for newly built vessels constructed from 2023 onward.
BOTAS currently operates two major onshore LNG terminals in Tekirdag and Izmir, with re-gasification capacities of approximately 8.2 billion cubic meters (bcm) (289 billion cubic feet) and 6 bcm (212 billion cubic feet) per year, respectively.
Additionally, BOTAS utilizes Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRUs), such as the Ertugrul Gazi, located at the terminal in Hatay, which has a storage capacity of 110 million cubic meters.
