LNG Tank Carrier Set To Make Debut
The Tiger Longkou is the first of a series of sea-going, dual-fuel newbuilds designed to transport LNG in special ISO tank containers to upriver and coastal delivery and distribution points.
The gearless vessel will carry a total of 690 units of 45ft, stowed as deck cargo within an elevated lashing bridge structure extending along the entire weatherdeck abaft the forward bridge and accommodation block. The arrangements provide for a payload of about 15,000t of LNG within main dimensions of 192m x 37m.
Tiger Longkou is the first of four ordered by Tiger Gas of Hong Kong from Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group and is expected to be handed over during December, four months ahead of schedule. Second-of-class Tiger Maanshan was floated out and prepared for sea trials in November.
The initial contract award to Yangzijiang entailed two vessels, plus eight on option. Two of the options were subsequently exercised, at the end of last year, and an eventual 10-ship programme remains in prospect. Yangzijiang formulated the design in cooperation with the shipowner and drew technical support from China Classification Society.
The vessels will convey Malaysian-sourced LNG from an ISO tank filling facility on the peninsula to inland destinations on the Yangtze River, where Tiger is establishing a distribution centre at Maanshan, and potentially throughout the region. The gas is being purchased from Malaysian state-owned energy corporation Petronas.
By using machinery capable of operating on natural gas, Tiger Longkou will meet the IMO Tier III NOx emission standard, and offers an open-sea speed of 16 knots and a range of 5,000 nautical miles in LNG mode.
The projected flotilla of LNG tank container carriers and the delivery chain as a whole opens the way to greater accessibility to cleaner energy, particularly for customers in areas distant from the natural gas supply infrastructure and for those with intermittent or small consignment requirements. Shipments conveyed using ISO tanks are also advantageous in offering an agile back-up solution to meet sudden demand surges or peaks, with the extra merit of intermodality.
Several test shipments of LNG in ISO containers have been made into China since last year, including a trial delivery from a Japanese terminal.
The listed Yangzijiang Group is one of China’s largest private shipbuilding companies, and operates four yards along the Yangtze in Jiangsu province. The Tiger series adds to the diversity of the builder’s production range and the concept is considered to offer substantial opportunities in the wider market.
