Finnish ship design and engineering company Deltamarin has obtained approval in principle (AiP) for the design of next-generation very large gas carriers.
As informed, the company received the AiP at Posidonia, Greece, on June 6, 2024. Five new ship designs of very large gas carriers were developed together with China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu).
The AiP certificate is issued for next-generation concept designs of 99,000 cbm ethane-fueled very large ethane carrier (VLEC), and 88,000 cbm and 93,000 cbm liquefied petroleum gas-(LPG) fueled very large LPG carriers (VLGC).
Furthermore, the design of 88,000 cbm and 93,000 cbm ammonia-powered very large ammonia carriers (VLAC) received approval from LR.
According to Deltamarin, a set of innovative main dimensions has been defined for these five new designs over multiple studies.
The VLEC will use ethane as fuel and be equipped with China Merchants Heavy’s self-developed independent type B tanks.
The optimized fuel storage and propulsion configuration are expected to provide higher energy efficiency and greater economic flexibility.
Moreover, the VLGCs and VLACs will be fitted with independent type A tanks and will use LPG and ammonia as fuel, respectively.
The fuel systems in all designs will enhance operational efficiency and safety while also contributing to a cleaner shipping industry, Deltamarin noted.
To remind, in February this year, Deltamarin’s design of a hydrogen fuel-cell ferry won approval from LR. As part of the certification, LR approved the current stage of the design process to be suitable for further design, construction, and procurement of the RoPax ferry.