HJSC rolls out new LR-approved LNG bunkering vessel design
HJSC rolls out new LR-approved LNG bunkering vessel design - Offshore Energy
HJSC rolls out new LR-approved LNG bunkering vessel design
South Korean shipbuilder HJ Shipbuilding & Construction (HJSC, formerly Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction) has developed a new LNG bunkering vessel for which it also obtained approval in principle (AiP) from classification society Lloyd’s Register (LR).
The new 7,500 cbm LNG bunkering vessel follows the delivery of 5,200 cbm bunkering vessel, Engie Zeebrugge to Japanese shipping company NYK in 2017. In late 2020, the vessel was renamed Green Zeebrugge and in 2021, it was chartered to the Dutch company Titan.
The new vessel was designed for ship-to-ship operations and is equipped with two independent pressure-type LNG tanks certified by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to supply 7,500 cbm of LNG at once.
It also comes with a dual-fuel (LNG/MGO) propulsion system which enables manoeuvrability and operational efficiency, HJSC said. Moreover, the new LNG bunkering vessel ballast-free so it can operate without the inflow and outflow of ballast water.
In April last year, the shipbuilder revealed it developed a dual-fuel, LNG-fueled 7,700 TEU containership concept which was also approved by LR. A few months later, it received an order to build two eco-friendly containerships for an undisclosed European shipowner.
In addition to working on the development of LNG vessels, HJSC presented its methanol-ready containership design which resulted in an order for two 9,000 TEU methanol-powered containerships from HMM in February this year.
Related Knowledge Center: Liquefied natural gas
Driven by plentiful natural gas produced from shale plays, the United States began exporting liquefied natural gas in 2016 when the Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana opened and shipped its first cargo. Since then, additional capacity, or trains, have been added to Sabine Pass, and terminals have become operational in Cameron Parish, La.; Hackberry, La.; Cove Point, Md.; and Corpus Christi, Texas. The Energy Information Administration projects that U.S. LNG export capacity will reach 8.9 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) by the end of 2019, making it the third largest in the world, behind Australia and Qatar. The tariff war with China has the potential to impact some final investment decisions for additional terminals in the coming months.