LR, Chinese Partners to Develop New LNG Carrier Design

UK-based maritime classification society Lloyd’s Register has agreed a collaboration with Chinese companies to develop a 220,000 cbm LNG carrier design with Mark III containment system.

The deal was signed with COSCO Shipping LNG Investment (Shanghai), COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry, Jiangnan Shipyard (Group), Marine Design and Research Institute of China (MARIC), Shanghai Ship and Shipping Research Institute (SSSRI) and China Classification Society (CCS).

The seven parties will use their expertise, experience and research capabilities to define the ship’s technical specifications and general arrangement of the main systems, to factor in route and capacity requirements.

LR and CCS will provide technical support and consultancy services to ensure that the design meets all international regulations, industry-wide conventions and standards, and that it complies with each society’s classification rules. LR and CCS will also offer technical support for ship-shore matching, focusing particularly at upstream and downstream loading and unloading terminals.

Once the LNG carrier has been designed, LR and CCS will look to grant the design approval in principle, which will further enhance the project partners’ competitiveness in the large LNG carrier market. The parties will conduct hydrodynamic assessments on the design to optimise its performance and plan to continually improve the design.

“All of the partners involved in this project hope to achieve complementary advantages through close cooperation, which will further enhance the competitiveness in the large LNG carrier market within China and local areas,” Zhu Cangman, Vice-Director, Safety Committee, COSCO Shipping LNG investment (Shanghai), said.

“As global demand for LNG trade continues to grow, the shipping industry will require more LNG carriers, specifically for newbuilding orders. As China’s demand for LNG continues to increase, more Chinese shipowners with need LNG carriers and this JIP will provide our customers with a suitable and competitive design to support their business requirements,” Zhu Jianzhang, Assistant President, MARIC, said.