Chinese shipbuilder Hudong-Zhonghua and French LNG containment specialist GTT have developed a new 174,000-cbm LNG carrier design with three storage tanks.
CSSC’s Hudong-Zhonghua announced in a statement on July 21 it has received approvals in principle during a ceremony from classification societies for this LNG carrier, China’s first 98,000-cbm liquefied ammonia carrier, and a methanol dual-fuel 16,000-teu containership.
According to Hudong-Zhonghua, ABS, LR, DNV, and BV issued AIP certificates to the shipbuilder and GTT for the three-tank 174,000-cbm LNG carrier.
The LNG carrier is a new version of Hudong-Zhonghua’s fifth-generation Changxeng series.
It has an overall length of 290 meters, a width of 46.4 meters, a design draft of 11.5 meters , a service speed of 19.5 knots, and it features GTT’s NO96 Super+ containment system.
Hudong-Zhonghua said the vessel features three tanks instead of four, reducing the insulation area by over 7 percent.
Thanks to the reduction in the number of cargo tanks, the hull is lighter in weight, smaller in scale, with less cryogenic equipment, and less tank material, leading to a shorter construction cycle and easier maintenance, the shipbuilder said.
In October last year, GTT secured approvals from DNV and BV for its three-tank LNG tanker design aimed at increasing the profitability and overall performance of the vessel.
GTT said that this three-tank LNG carrier concept permits a reduction in construction costs through the suppression of one cofferdam, one pump tower, and all associated cryogenic equipment such as liquid and gas domes, valves, piping, radars, etc.
At the same time, the improved ratio between the volume of LNG transported and the surface area of the cryogenic liner will make it possible to reduce the daily boil-off rate, GTT said.