Navigator Gas Orders Two More Ethane Engine Conversions

Navigator Gas is expanding its ethane fleet. The company has contracted Everllence PrimeServ to retrofit two of its gas ships with dedicated ethane engines.

The ships are Navigator Nova and Navigator Prominence. Both are currently fitted with Everllence B&W 6S50ME-GI Mk8.2 engines. Under the new contract, those will be converted to ME-GIE (Gas Injection Ethane) units under IMO Tier II. COSCO Shipping Heavy Industries (CSHI) will do the conversion work at its Nantong shipyard in China. The first conversion is scheduled to begin in March 2027.

The move is grounded in proven results. Navigator Aurora went through the same conversion in 2018, and that ship has since racked up eight years of operational experience on the ME-GIE system. That track record gave Navigator Gas the confidence to order two more.

"Eight years of operational experience with Navigator Aurora have given us strong confidence in the ME-GIE solution and the value it brings to our fleet," said Kaj Pilemand, Director of Vessel Operations at Navigator Gas. "Converting Navigator Nova and Navigator Prominence is a natural next-step, allowing us to build on proven technology and real operational experience."

Pilemand linked the retrofits to a broader decarbonisation push. "Retrofitting existing ships with more efficient and fuel-flexible technology enables us to reduce CO₂ emissions now, extend the relevance of our existing fleet and make meaningful progress towards our decarbonisation goals," he said.

Navigator Gas transports liquefied gases including ethane, ethylene, LPG, and petrochemical gases. Running on ME-GIE engines lets the ships use their own cargo as fuel. That cuts costs and emissions in one move.

MarineRadar data shows a 48-hour spike in lookups for Navigator-class ships. Broader market attention follows.

To follow Navigator Nova and Navigator Prominence, our guide to reading vessel details explains the information on each ship’s profile. You can also add the ships to a fleet and monitor their port arrivals and departures as their conversion schedules approach.