Lockheed Martin: First LNG Tank Rolls Off Assembly Line

Lockheed Martin’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) tank has transitioned from the assembly line to the shipyard for integration with the Wartsila LNG propulsion system.

Weighing in at 250,000 pounds, this LNG tank built with U.S. steel is the first of its kind for Lockheed Martin and will soon be used for marine applications under contract to Wärtsilä, a Finnish power solution provider for Harvey Gulf International Marine, a marine transportation company based in New Orleans. The LNG tank will be installed in Harvey Gulf’s LNG powered offshore support vessel currently under construction at Gulf Coast Shipyard Group in Gulfport, Miss.

This is the first in a series of cryogenic tanks Lockheed Martin will produce in support of expanding use of LNG tanks for marine applications and land-based storage. Leveraging technology and experience from the manufacturing of NASA’s space shuttle external tanks, Lockheed Martin expects interest for cryogenic tanks to increase as the LNG market segments continue to mature and the infrastructure is placed to support the safety of operating, transporting and bunkering of cryogenic fuels.

Lockheed Martin manufactures scalable tanks for all marine vessels and land-based applications inside the 43-acre NASA Michoud Assembly Facility Main Manufacturing Building in New Orleans, La. Its waterfront location and deep water port allow for efficient shipping of the tanks to customer locations around the globe.

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Press Release, April 16, 2014; Image: Lockheed Martin