ABS awards AIP for Brevik’s LNG containment system

ABS, a provider of maritime shipping and offshore classification services, has granted approval in principle to a new gas containment system concept designed in Norway by Brevik Technology.

The containment system uses a series of independent, cylindrical IMO Type-B tanks and for the AIP was designed for application in a gas carrier of 30,000 cbm, the classification society said in a statement.

In granting the AIP, ABS assessed the concept against the requirements of the International Gas Code, ABS Rules and the ABS Guide for Liquefied Gas Carriers with Independent Tanks. Since the tank design is a novel concept, a HAZID study was also performed.

The AIP marks the initial approval for the tank concept and could be followed by a general design approval upon completion of a vessel’s detailed design. Final approval would involve a vessel-specific shipbuilding project, ABS said.

The tank design was created by Brevik Technology, a VARD affiliate company, with the intention of lowering the cost of construction for LNG and LPG carriers while providing a solution for the small-scale transport of gas.

“In creating the design, it was emphasized that no thermal induced forces were transferred from the ship to the tank and vice versa due to temperature variations,” says Øystein Kristoffersen Sæther, Managing Director, Vard Engineering Brevik. “The use of a cylindrical tank also means that the potential for damage from sloshing is low.”

Brevik is in discussions with shipowners and yards for a vessel design concept including the Type B tank, which it estimates could be between 15 to 20 percent less expensive to construct than a membrane containment system for a ship of this size.

Images: Brevik Technology