French LNG containment giant GTT said it had secured approvals from DNV and BV for its three-tank LNG tanker design aimed at increasing the profitability and overall performance of the vessel.
Currently, LNG carriers with a capacity of about 174,000 cbm or more feature four LNG tanks.
GTT said in a statement 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.
Also, the overall surface area of the containment system would be reduced by about 2,000 cbm, generating lower costs for the materials and vessel construction, the Paris-based firm said.
Boil-off improved
At the same time, the improved ratio between the volume of LNG transported and the surface area of the cryogenic liner would make it possible to reduce the daily boil-off rate, GTT said.
As an example, GTT estimates that it would achieve a boil-off rate as low as 0.080 percent of tank volume per day with the Mark III Flex technology, compared to 0.085 percent of the volume per day with the LNG carriers currently in operation.
This new design could also offer time-savings for shipyards and optimize their construction schedule, the firm said.
GTT hopes three-tank LNG carrier to become standard
DNV and BV have issued an approval in principle for this three-tank LNG carrier design for the Mark III and NO96 technologies developed by GTT.
“For almost 60 years, the GTT Group has been constantly improving its technologies to offer its customers solutions that meet their requirements as well as those of the regulatory authorities,” GTT’s chief Philippe Berterottière said in the statement.
“Thirty years ago, we upgraded LNG carriers from five to four tanks and we now hope to bring the market forward with a three-tank LNG carrier. We hope to see this concept become standard in future years,” he said.
