German fuel gas system provider TGE Marine has signed a contract to design and supply the cargo handling and fuel gas system for a 12,000 cbm liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker vessel.
The contract was awarded by the Chinese shipyard Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering for the vessel that will be owned and operated by Peking-based China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC).
The bunker vessel will supply its cargo to any LNG-fueled vessel in Chinese water and it will be equipped with two IMO type C cylindrical tanks.
An LNG sub-cooling system will also be fitted in order to condition the cargo to -163 °C. Furthermore, the vessel will be equipped with a cold recovery system to utilise the low temperature of the cargo for the ship’s air conditioning system, thereby reducing the overall power consumption.
TGE Marine’s Sales Manager Johannes Dziuba said: “This vessel will be a milestone for the Chinese LNG bunkering market and we are proud to be able to jointly develop this innovative vessel. It is a pleasure for TGE Marine to partner up with both the yard and the owner for this unique project and we look forward to supporting all parties throughout the building process and operations.”
Recently, TGE Marine secured an order from the same shipyard for the design and supply of the cargo handling- and fuel gas system for three LNG bunker vessels being built for Canada-based shipowner Seaspan ULC.
TGE’s equipment was also selected by Norwegian RoRo shipping company Höegh Autoliners . The firm will provide eight fuel gas systems and associated multi-fuel gas tanks for pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs).