Chinese LPG giant Oriental Energy is pulling its vessels out of the Helios LPG VLGC pool.

The pool’s manager, Dorian LPG, confirms that Oriental Energy’s six chartered-in vessels — three of which are owned by Petredec, two by Shandong Shipping's Pacific Gas Shipping and one by Japan’s Kumiai Senpaku — will all have been withdrawn by March.

LPG chartering sources say Oriental Energy has indicated it needs the ships back under its own control as it has larger cargo volumes to handle and is short on shipping.