A specialised liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier named after Bahrain will be christened during a ceremony at the Khalifa Bin Salman Port on November 14, according to senior government officials.

The ceremony to formally launch 'Bahrain Vision,' owned by I M Skaugen SE, will be held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and attended by Energy Minister Dr Abdulhussain Mirza, among others.

'This will be a significant event in Bahrain for its oil and gas sector,' said Dr Mirza.

'The huge investments we are seeing are testimony to Bahrain's position as a hub for oil and gas related activities in the Gulf region.'

He said the setting up of Skaugen Gulf Petrochem Carriers in December last year for the transportation of LNG and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) was to fulfil the needs of the GCC petrochemical industry.

'Bahrain is now fast becoming a hub for such operations and with this latest development its reach will expand to all corners of the globe,' he added.

I M Skaugen SE is one of the companies in contention for the multi-million dollar Bahrain LNG project, for which the winning bidder is scheduled to be named by the end of the year.

Project manager Hans Verswijver said the naming ceremony would be attended by investors from Norway, China, Singapore, Russia, the GCC and other Middle East countries as well as guests of businessmen and professionals from within Bahrain.

'The next day, we will have open day for stakeholders and specialists from the oil companies and companies that use energy, in addition to students of specialised universities for access to the vessel, also fitted with onboard re-liquefaction facilities for LNG,' he said.-TradeArabia News Service