Shipowner BW LNG paid tribute to trader Luis Lesmes with the delivery on Tuesday of its latest LNG carrier newbuilding.
The 174,000-cbm BW Lesmes, which is chartered to BP, was named in honour of Luis Lesmes, whose death in a car accident in France in 2014 shocked the industry.
In a video tribute, BW described Lesmes as “a trailblazer and a leading pioneer in LNG trading”. The company said he left his “irreplaceable mark on the industry”.
The LNG trader's widow, Andreina Campins, named the ME-GI vessel remotely with the ship’s master, Captain Andrew Tennant, doing the honours at shipyard Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering on her behalf.
Campins said Lesmes was an amazing husband, loving father and great friend. "He filled our lives with his kindness, laughter and love for life," she said. "We are very proud of Luis.”
Vitol head of LNG Pablo Escobar also paid tribute to his friend Lesmes who worked with Morgan Stanley and later Glencore in setting up their first LNG trading desks.
Escobar spoke of Lesmes’ “humanity”, “work ethic” and “contagious smile”.
He said Lesmes was always careful not to damage long-term relationships, always treating others kindly even if “negotiating ferociously”.
Escobar signed off by describing Lesmes as "a true gentleman of the LNG industry".
