DNV GL Awards AiP for Jiangnan Shipyard’s VLEC Design

Classification society DNV GL has awarded an Approval in Principle (AiP) for the design of a 93,000-cubic meter (cbm) very large ethane carrier to Chinese shipyard Jiangnan.

The AiP certificate for the flexible, efficient and environmentally friendly design was presented at the Gastech trade fair in Barcelona. The “PANDA E” design was developed by Jiangnan Shipyard in cooperation with GTT, DNV GL and major equipment manufacturers.

“With this latest AiP, we have laid a solid foundation for introducing this ship type to the market and will further enrich our product portfolio in gas carriers and gas-fuelled ship types, which will benefit our clients and, at the same time, reduce emissions. Both Jiangnan and DNV GL will gain from the deeper and broader cooperation that this AiP represents,” said Hu Keyi, Chief Engineer of Jiangnan Shipyard (Group).

The vessel will utilize GTT’s reinforced Mark III cargo containment system with a design temperature of minus 104 degrees centigrade. Four standard cargo holds are capable of carrying ethane, ethylene and liquid petroleum gas (LPG), with a capacity of 93,000 cubic meters in total.

Significantly reduced fuel consumption was achieved after several rounds of hull form optimizations. The proposed dual-fuel ethane/fuel oil main propulsion system with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) meets the IMO NOx Tier III requirements. Other features include a deck tank, shaft generator and an LNG ready concept. Additionally, a USCG-certified ballast water treatment system has been applied to meet the upcoming regulations.