Gas Transportation Market News

Russia was now pitching itself as an important transporter of European gas to Asia, reports  Sputnik quoting Danila Bochkarev, a senior fellow at the EastWest Institute in Brussels. The Russian supertanker Christophe de Margerie is en route to South Korea, sailing the Northern Sea Route with a load of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Norway. The shipment is a major step for Russia’s Sovcomflot to enter the global gas transportation market said the report. The Northern Sea Route cuts the travel time from Europe to Asia by a hefty 40 percent and the Christophe de Margerie will cover this distance in just 15 days. Sovcomflot has 128 tankers and 13 LNG transport ships.

As part of its growing network of global partnerships, Babcock LGE, a wholly owned Engineering, Procurement and Project Management business of Babcock International Group, has secured a contract to design; supply and project manage the installation of a cargo handling system for a 38,000cbm Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) ship at Namura Shipbuilding Co. Ltd in Imari, Japan. Based in Edinburgh, this is LGE’s sixth contract with Japanese Shipbuilding business Namura, the contract marks Namura’s strategic return to the gas transportation market since the mid 2000s. Babcock LGE has  delivered many similar projects of varying sizes and plan to continue this success in a prosperous LPG market.

DNV has developed a new pipeline concept, called X-Stream, that can significantly reduce the cost of a deep- and ultra-deepwater gas pipeline while still complying with the strictest safety and integrity regime. X-Stream is based on established and field-proven technologies which have been innovatively arranged. X-Stream can reduce both the pipeline wall thickness and time spent on welding and installation compared to deep-water gas pipelines currently in operation. The exact reduction in the wall thickness depends on the water depth, pipe diameter and actual pipeline profile.

The Eletson Corporation enters a new market sector with the delivery today of their first ever liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier. Built at Hyundai Mipo Dockyards (HMD) in Korea, the ship marks a milestone for the well known and respected Greek operator, long recognized by the shipping industry for the ownership and management of tankers for more than four decades. The 22,010 deadweight tonne Anafi, constructed to Lloyd’s Register class, is the first of a series of four LPG ships being built for Eletson by HMD. Built to meet high specifications and exceeding latest requirements for navigational safety and environmental requirements, these ships demonstrate Eletson’s commitment to the demanding gas transportation market.

To great fanfare, Iñigo Tapias, the new 138,000 cu. m. liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier was launched on January 29 by IZAR's Sestao yard in Bilbao. The ship — standing in testament to the 1,213 workers at Sestao who physically made the ship a reality as well as the underlying strength of the IZAR company — is a highly significant one for many reasons, both technical and business. The 933-ft. (284.4-m), 19.5 knot ship embodies the hopes of a shipbuilding nation that is seeking to re-establish its presence in the LNG niche that it has not occupied for more than three decades, as the production of gas ships generally lays in the hands of Far East builders today.

Guido Perla & Associates, Inc. (GPA) is providing the design to Sea NG Corp. located in Calgary, Canada, for two additional versions of the Coselle Compressed Natural Gas CNG carrier, based on a similar design which was approved by ABS in September 2006 for construction and will primarily be engaged on international voyages. “CNG carriers are a cost effective, reliable and safe alternative to the traditional ways of transporting natural gas via subsea pipelines or Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carriers,” said Dan Koch, Vice President of Engineering. “When circumstances allow it, pipelines provide the best option for transporting gas over short distances, while Liquefied Natural Gas carriers offer various advantages for large quantities of natural gas to be transported over long distances.

ABS has given full design approval for the class of the compressed natural gas (CNG) carrier designed and developed by Canadian-based Sea NG Corporation. Sea NG is expected to award construction of three Coselle CNG carriers later this year. These first vessels are intended to service projects in the Caribbean or Mediterranean Seas. “We are pleased to bring innovation to the marine gas transportation market by offering a new ship-based gas delivery system that is safe, reliable and economic,” said Dave Stenning, President & CEO of Sea NG. The vessels’ design has been approved to the standards established in the ABS Guide for Vessels Intended to Carry Compressed Natural Gases in Bulk as well as applicable parts of the ABS Steel Vessel Rules.