A 93,000 cbm LPG carrier with dual fuel LPG propulsion, being built by China’s Jiangnan Shipyard, for Petredec Holdings (Eastern) PTE, has returned from sea trials.
The vessel, named Harzand, is the first of a total of six 93,000 cbm LPG vessels Petredec has on order at the yard.
The shipbuilder said that the 9-day sea trial period was the shortest trial on record for a dual-fuel liquefied gas ship at the yard, which has secured a total of 48 orders for this type of vessel.
This sea trial marks the first instance of a “three-in-one” sea trial in the history of Jiangnan Shipbuilding for the construction of liquefied gas carriers. This means that the conventional sea trial, gas trial, and gas test were completed simultaneously.
The move was pursued as the shipbuilder aims to accelerate the construction process to meet the annual delivery target of 11 VLGCs.
The Panda-class 93k cbm vessel, designed by Jiangnan, features advanced technology to improve hull efficiency and lower consumption, in conjunction with classification society DNV.
The vessels will also be fitted with a shaft generator to use LPG to provide the auxiliary power at sea, further enhancing their green credentials.
This type of ship has a total length of 230 meters, a molded width of 36.6 meters, and a service speed of 16.5 knots. It adopts the fourth-generation patented line type ( VS-Bow MK-IV ), which can be used under full load, ballast and liquid cargo loading conditions of different specific gravity.
By bunkering LPG as a marine fuel to MAN ES LGIP engines, Petredec aims to achieve up to 40% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030.
The vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2023.