Small Scale LNG Carriers Growing in Popularity

Traditionally, the transportation of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) has been done in LNG carriers that move the product in the most economical way from the producers to their final destination.

LNG is then re-distributed via pipelines to the final users. But the same that other energy sources have been changing the way they are transported over the years, there are changes in the LNG distribution and transportation that make it feasible and even economical to move it in smaller parcels with the use of Small LNG carriers, able to get closer to the final customer.

But there is also an expanding fleet of small LNG carriers in the market today designed with sizes between 1,000 to 30,000 cbms and able to transport LNG, and other petrochemicals.

The size of what is considered a small LNG carrier comes given by the technology used: the smaller ships normally use IMO type C tanks, which are best suitable and economical for ships of those sizes. This makes more logical the use of ship owners with previous experience in the ethylene transportation segment, since they are more familiar with the technology and the requirements of smaller ships.

To address these developments and changes in the market, Small-LNG.com has worked on identifying and analyzing the players in this market, looking at the ship owners building ships for the transportation of LNG in small scale.

“Small-LNG.com maintains a list of Small LNG carriers, covering all the ships available in the world or in firm order. We are looking carefully at the players and the changes in this subsegment of the market, because we see a huge growth potential in the near future for the transportation of LNG in small scale,” states Eduardo Perez, principal consultant at Small-LNG.com.

The updated world fleet list of small LNG carriers is available here.

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Press Release, May 29, 2014; Image: Small-LNG.com