South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Mipo Dockyard has received basic design approval from classification society DNV for its small floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU).
DNV and the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR) awarded the approval in principle to HMD and its parent KSOE.
The approval is the result of a joint research project by the four firms to develop a 40,000-cbm barge-type LNG FSRU, DNV said in a statement.
Operated together with a large-size floating storage unit (FSU) and a shuttle LNG carrier, the newly developed unit would be suitable to serve mid-to-small-sized LNG projects as an economical alternative to large FSRUs, it said.
The FSRU design features an IMO type-C cargo containment system, while its cargo handling system would enable simultaneous loading and unloading of LNG cargo among FSU and LNG carrier, DNV said.