South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering has received an Approval in Principle (AIP) from classification society ABS for its 165,000 cbm jumbo ethane/ethylene carrier design.
Under this design, the IMO Type B cargo tanks would be constructed out of high manganese austenitic steel (Hi-MN steel), which DSME said is more cost competitive than Ni alloy steel as well as providing increased reliability and a more robust containment.
“Based on DSME’s advanced technology, which is performing strongly in the LNGC market, it will be able to lead the global gas market not only in membrane but also in Type B tanks by developing this new design for ultra-large ethane/ethylene carriers, applying high-manganese steel, a newly rising cryogenic material,” Odin Kwon, Chief Technology Officer of DSME, added.
ABS has reviewed the safety, suitability and feasibility of the Type B cargo tank design based on information supplied by DSME to confirm the system would comply with current ABS rules.
The parties have previously collaborated on joint development projects assessing the viability of Hi-MN steel for cryogenic applications.