World’s first “Sayaringo STaGE” LNG carrier delivered

The world’s first “Sayaringo STaGE” next generation liquefied natural gas carrier, Diamond Gas Orchid has been delivered to Diamond LNG Shipping, a joint venture between Japan’s Mitsubishi and NYK, according to the US-based ABS that classed the brand new vessel.

To remind, the 165,000-cbm LNG carrier was named earlier this year at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ Nagasaki shipyard in Japan.

The Japanese joint venture has a long-term time-charter contract for the LNG vessel with Diamond Gas International, a wholly owned unit of Mitsubishi located in Singapore.

The ship will transport LNG from the U.S. Cameron LNG project in Louisiana, in which NYK and Mitsubishi both have a stake, as well as from other locations around the world.

The innovative carrier introduces significant improvements in both LNG-carrying capacity and fuel performance by incorporating a more efficient hull structure and an innovative hybrid propulsion system, ABS note in its statement issued on Tuesday.

The vessel is intended for operation in Louisiana, transporting LNG for the Cameron LNG project.

The Diamond Gas Orchid has a continuous steel cover that reduces ship weight and air resistance while increasing LNG-carrying capacity.

STaGE, an acronym derived from “Steam Turbine and Gas Engines,” is a hybrid propulsion system combining a steam turbine and engines fired by gas.

Efficient use of the engines’ waste heat in the steam turbine results in substantial improvement in plant efficiency, enabling high-efficiency navigation throughout a full range of speeds, the statment said.

Diamond Gas Orchid is the first Sayaringo STaGE vessel to have both the next generation LNG cargo tank structure and propulsion system.