Four companies cooperate on LNG-powered bulk carrier design

Deltamarin, Arista Shipping, ABS and GTT revealed the Project Forward, a joint development project to equip the dry bulk carrier newbuilds with LNG propulsion.

The project, led by Athens-based bulk carrier owner Arista Shipping, began in May this year with an aim to develop LNG-powered dry bulk carrier design capable of complying with International Maritime Organization’s Energy Efficiency Design Index 2025 standards, NOx Tier III and Marpol Annex VI SOx emission levels, companies said in a statement.

The concept design will be based on Deltamarin B.Delta design suitable for ships between 82,000 and 210,000 dwt. It will employ GTT’s membrane-type LNG tanks for fuel containment.

The project will also address the existing dry bulk fleet by developing a modularized LNG fuel retrofit solution for bulk carriers of various sizes. ABS will conduct concept and detail design approvals according to its rules for bulk carriers and gas-powered ships.

Project Forward will include a number of stages, with a two years’ applied research and development work. Initial research indicates that the expected emission reductions from Project Forward could be 40% for CO2, 80% for NOx and 98% for SOx.

Image: Deltamarin