China’s maritime industry has unveiled plans to develop a 220,000-cbm LNG carrier design utilizing a Mark III containment system.
The tie-up brings together COSCO Shipping LNG Investment, COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry, Jiangnan Shipyard, Marine Design and Research Institute of China (MARIC), Shanghai Ship and Shipping Research Institute (SSSRI) and China Classification Society (CCS) and Lloyd’s Register.
In a joint statement the seven parties said they would “use their expertise, experience and research capabilities” to define the ship’s technical specifications and general arrangement of the main systems, to factor in route and capacity requirements.
The two class societies will provide technical support and consultancy services to ensure that the design meets all international regulations.
They said they will also offer technical support for ship-to-shore matching, focusing particularly at upstream and downstream loading and unloading terminals.
Once the LNG carrier has been designed, LR and CCS said they will look to grant the design approval in principle (AIP).
“LR is the clear leader for gas ship construction in China, with 48% of capacity ordered to date being classed by us,” said Wei Ying, LR’s senior-vice president, Greater China.
“We couldn’t have reached this position without the support of our partners in this project, including COSCO Shipping LNG Investment and Jiangnan Shipyard.’
LR’s said it has worked with Cosco on a total of 10 174,000-cbm LNG carriers to date, while its relationship with Jiangnan currently includes 10 VLGCs and two Mark III LNG carriers.
“We remain committed to supporting the growth in the LNG shipping market in China, and we look forward to contributing to the success of this JIP through our unmatched local gas ship experience and expertise,” she added.
Zhu Jianzhang, assistant president, MARIC, said: “As global demand for LNG trade continues to grow, the shipping industry will require more LNG carriers, specifically newbuildings.
“As China's demand for LNG continues to increase, more Chinese shipowners with need LNG carriers and this JIP will provide our customers with a suitable and competitive design to support their business requirements.”
Jiangnan Shipyards said it has already “successfully cooperated” with LR and MARIC on an AIP for a standard size membrane type LNG carrier design called ‘LNG Jumbo’ and a joint development project for applying LNG fuel tanks on large containerships.
“These working arrangements and experience can be replicated on this new project,” said Hu Keyi, Chief of Global Technology, Jiangnan Shipyard
