Clean Gas News

GAS Entec has completed the conversion of a 125,000m³ LNG carrier into an FSRUfor KARMOL, a joint-venture between Turkey's Karpowership and Japan's Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), for deployment in Senegal.The company, a subsidiary of Atlantic Gulf & Pacific International Holding (AG&P), has converted the LNG carrier into an 84 mmscfd Modular Floating Storage and Regasification Unit (M-FSRU) with the capacity to scale from 15 to 300 mmscfd per unit."This M-FSRU is the world's first modular floating LNG regasification terminal…

Wison Offshore and Marine's standardized 1.3MTPA and 3.0MTPA floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) designs have received Approval in Principle from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).ABS Vice President, Global Gas Solutions, Patrick Janssens said： “ABS has been the preferred classification organization for the offshore and energy industry for more than 60 years. With increasing global concern for the environment, clean gas-based energy plays an integral role within that framework.

ABS has granted Approval in Principle (AIP) to Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) hull design. ABS and HHI collaborated with the objective of developing a technically feasible and class compliant FLNG hull design, using the latest industry trends while maintaining high safety standards. The ABS AIP demonstrates the design substantially complies with Class and Regulatory requirements and minimizes risk to project schedules and safe operations, giving regulatory agencies and other key stakeholders confidence in the design. “ABS has a strong history of collaborating with the offshore industry to evaluate novel designs that enable industry efficiency,” says ABS Executive Vice President, Global Offshore Ken Richardson.

A new liquefied ethylene gas carrier (LEG) was named on Teesside today. Operated by German shipping company Hartmann Reederei and GasChem Services, the new eco-friendly sea vessel GasChem Beluga will carry shipments of ethane gas from Houston to SABIC’s cracker at Wilton on Teesside under a long-term time charter. SABIC recently converted its Teesside cracker during a major investment to enable it to take ethane gas alongside other feedstocks, to make it one of the most flexible and competitive crackers in Europe.

FLNG deal-making has been sporadic since Woodside Petroleum at the end of 2013 delayed a final investment decision for the giant Browse FLNG project off Northwest Australia. The previous year had seen go-aheads for most of the floating liquefied natural gas projects (FLNG) underway today, including Shell’s Prelude FLNG — Woodside’s choice, it seems, of a liquefaction solution for fields 200 kilometers offshore. Yet Prelude, “the first project out”, might not be first to produce.

Rolls-Royce engines powered solely by liquefied natural gas (LNG) have completed 25 million hours of operation on land and at sea, since their introduction in 1991. More than 650 Bergen lean burn gas engines are in service today, with a power output up to 9,600kW. The engines are used for a variety of applications ranging from powering ferries, cargo ships and tugs to a wide range of land-based power generation throughout the world. Dr. Mikael Makinen, Rolls-Royce President Marine, added, “Achieving 25 million running hours in almost 25 years is something we’re extremely proud of.

AXSMarine has launched an upgrade to AXSTanker – commonly known as AXSTanker4.0, a software solution for competitive shipbrokers in the Crude, Clean, Gas, Chemical and Product tanker space. Within the AXSTanker community, brokers have the option to share vessel position updates with other members or keep them private for their own company’s use. Since its introduction in 2004, more than 100 shipbroking companies have signed up to AXSTanker. Over the next couple of months, AXSMarine will be rolling out the new AXSTanker 4.0 in phases, to more than 1,100 users across 30 cities around the world.

‘Clean Sky’ design Kamsarmax project moves industry far beyond the concept stage for gas powered bulk carriers. Lloyd’s Register has provided approval in principle (AIP) for the new ‘Clean Sky’ bulk carrier design incorporating an LNG-as-fuel system. COSCO, Golden Union and Lloyd’s Register started the project in June 2011 to investigate the potential to develop a commercially viable bulk carrier design based on an existing COSCO conventional design, but employing gas powered propulsion systems.

Wärtsilä, the marine industry's leading solutions provider, has been contracted by Kleven Maritime of Norway to design a new LNG powered Platform Supply Vessel (PSV) of the Norwegian operator Rem Offshore. The scope of the order also includes the propulsion machinery, automation and other equipment for the same vessel. Wärtsilä is the clear market leader in supplying design and propulsion solutions for LNG powered PSVs, a position that is further strengthened with this order.

In March this year, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposal to designate waters off the North American coasts as an Emission Control Area was adopted by IMO, the International Maritime Organization. The North American ECA is a key part of a comprehensive EPA program to address harmful emissions from large ships. Which are the time schedules of upcoming emission regulations? How are marine engine manufacturers preparing for the tighter air emission limits being adopted? Henrik Segercrantz explores.

The new 440-ft. (134-m) monohull high-speed ferry Corsaire 13000 will soon undergo speed trials at the French shipyard Alstom Leroux Naval, and the successful testing and subsequent operation of the advanced vessel will prove the value of the complete propulsion system supplied by MTU. The ship is planned to operate for the French SNCM (Societe Nationale Maritime Corse-Mediterranee) on the 189-n m. crossing from Marseille and the island Corsica at 42 knots. The ship's propulsion and power generation system — virtually all of which was supplied by MTU — is truly one of the vessel's distinguishing features. The engines, gas turbines, gearboxes…

Since Royal Caribbean decided to embrace the advanced marine propulsion technology inherent with gas turbines, power plants aboard cruise ships built and delivered in the new millennium could be much different. Even if all newbuilds do not incorporate gas turbine power, other propulsion suppliers such as diesel manufacturers will be driven by this new competitor in a previously diesel dominated domain — along by new and increasingly stringent environmental emission requirements — to continuously improve their designs in order to meet future needs. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity selected a COmbined Gas turbine and Steam turbine Electric drive System (COGES) for their new ships.

While seeking to consolidate its existing LNG carrier workload by bidding for new tonnage to serve the Qatari export traffic and other projects, Spanish shipbuilder IZAR has intensified its research endeavors so as to create a broader business platform in the energy market. The group has thrown its weight behind a new initiative aimed at developing floating plant incorporating gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology to extract and convert gas from remote offshore fields into premium grade liquid products. The joint industry research and development project, known as Seagas, draws in IZAR Fene Shipyard (the former Astano establishment), Bermuda-based engineering corporation Foster Wheeler, and other partners from various disciplines.

Pollutant emissions produced by the global merchant fleet has always been suggested to represent a considerable contribution to anthropogenic emissions, with nitrogen and sulfur compounds being currently in the focus of public's interest. Emissions such as nitrogen oxides, NOx (the sum of NO and NO2) lead to enhanced tropospheric ozone formation over their natural background level and thus affect the greenhouse warming. A considerable portion of ship emissions is released far off the continents — in clean areas of the atmosphere. This particularly effects the southern hemisphere with its natural low emission level. So far, all earlier…