GAIL (India) Limited, a Maharatna PSU, and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. (MOL), Tokyo, have entered into a long-term charter agreement for an LNG carrier named “GAIL BHUWAN.” The signing ceremony was held on January 27, 2026, on the sidelines of India Energy Week 2026 in Goa.
The agreement was signed by Shri S. Bairagi, Executive Director (International Shipping & LNG), GAIL, and Mr. Hisashi Umemura, Director General, Headquarters of Energy Business, MOL, in the presence of the Chairman & Managing Director of GAIL, functional directors of GAIL, and senior dignitaries from MOL.
GAIL and MOL share a long-standing and strategic business partnership, and this collaboration further strengthens cooperation in LNG shipping and energy logistics. Leveraging MOL’s proven track record in providing reliable LNG transportation services, supported by its high standards of safety and quality, the contract has been executed between GAIL (India) Limited and LNG Japonica Shipping Corporation Limited, a joint venture between GAIL (26%) and MOL (74%).
The agreement marks an important milestone under the ‘Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047’, reinforcing India’s maritime strength and enhancing the resilience of the country’s energy supply chain. Both GAIL and MOL have set ambitious net-zero emission targets, and this partnership contributes meaningfully towards the realization of a low-carbon and decarbonized society.
GAIL (India) Limited is India’s leading natural gas company, with diversified interests across the entire natural gas value chain, including gas trading, transmission, LPG production and transmission, LNG shipping, LNG re-gasification, petrochemicals, city gas distribution, and exploration & production. The company owns and operates a vast pipeline network of over 18,001 km across the country. In the LNG segment, GAIL has built a large and diversified LNG portfolio to ensure long-term supply security and is among the top global LNG portfolio marketers. As part of its logistics integration strategy, GAIL has developed the largest LNG fleet in India, strengthening maritime capabilities and ensuring uninterrupted LNG availability to meet the nation’s growing energy demand.
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. has positioned regional strategy as a key pillar of its group management plan, “BLUE ACTION 2035,” identifying Asia as a major growth engine. In India, where economic development has been particularly strong, MOL has steadily expanded its business presence. Through the expansion of its energy business, including this project, and by further strengthening its partnership with GAIL, the MOL Group aims to continue supporting the development of transport and logistics infrastructure critical to meeting India’s rapidly growing energy requirements and ensuring a stable and secure energy supply.
