South Korea’s shipbuilding giant Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) said it has developed a liquefied natural gas fuel tank that can be installed on a 180,000 dwt bulk carrier.
South Korea’s Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said recently that the country will boost the use of LNG as fuel and aims to build the world’s largest LNG-fuelled bulk carrier in a push for green shipping.
The ministry said then it will join forces with state-owned steelmaker POSCO and LNG importing giant KOGAS as well as state institutes to develop a class of 180,000-ton LNG-fuelled vessels.
A deal between POSCO, KOGAS, the Korea Development Bank and marine research institutes was signed on September 26 with the ministry to launch the pilot program.
According to DSME, the newly developed Type-B LNG tank will be manufactured with high manganese steel that is jointly developed by the shipbuilder and POSCO.
The shipbuilder claims that high manganese steel is more resistant to external impact and optimises space better than fuel tanks manufactured with conventional aluminum alloys.
In addition, the LNG fuel tank would be installed on the aft deck so that the tank capacity can be flexibly operated for the desired operating route conditions.
LNG World News Staff