LNG giant Qatargas has started a programme to utilise boil-off gas to power its chartered vessels during unloading operations at Japanese terminals.
The Qatari company said in a statement on Monday it will be cooperating with is Japanese buyers under the programme.
The 137,227-cbm Al Jasra had successfully conducted the first such operation at the Niigata LNG import terminal in October 2019.
LNG tankers are designed to carry natural gas in liquid form at a temperature of minus 163 degrees Celsius.
This is close to the vaporisation temperature.
This natural evaporation, known as boil-off, is unavoidable. It has to be removed from the LNG tanks in order to maintain the cargo tank pressure.
Using the boil-off natural gas instead of conventional fuel oil, “significantly reduces greenhouse gas and other harmful emissions over the course of the discharge operation,” Qatargas said.
