Class society ABS has issued Approval In Principle (AIP) to a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) tank containment system and carrier design developed by Houston-based Ocean LNG Inc. The tank design consists of a cylindrical tank with spherical dished ends. The 180,000m3 carrier design features five of these large 36m diameter and 40m high cylinder tanks each holding a volume of 36,000m3 of LNG. Ocean LNG asserts that the design maximizes the void spaces in the ship’s hull yet still provides full access around the tank for inspections of both the insulation and tank structure. Compared to the traditional spherical LNG tank containment system…