BV to grant Gas-Prepared notation to six Suezmax tankers

Bureau Veritas (BV) has announced that it will grant Gas-Prepared notation to six Suezmax tankers that are being built for Dynacom Tankers Management. The 157 000 dwt tankers will be 274.3 m long, have a beam of 48 m and a depth of 23.2 m. They are under construction at New Times Shipbuilding in China, and are expected to be delivered in 2017 and 2018.

The Gas-Prepared notation sets out the requirements for vessels that are designed and fitted for dual-fuel or LNG propulsion, but are not originally intended to use gas as fuel. This provides owners with the option to convert to either dual-fuel or LNG propulsion at a later date.

Jean-François Segretain, Marine & Offshore Technical Director, Bureau Veritas said: “Using natural gas as fuel enables owners to comply with the requirements of Emission Control Areas (ECAs) in North America and Europe, and can be cost-effective in the long-term. In publishing the Gas-Prepared notation, Bureau Veritas sought to provide owners with the ability to switch to LNG in the future when market conditions are right.

“Applying for Gas-Prepared is an important step in future-proofing a new vessel and we look forward to working with Dynacom, the first owner in the market to choose this solution.”

Published in late 2015, BV’s Rule Note NR 627 Gas-Prepared Ships sets out how the vessel’s initial design is to take into account the necessary spaces or zones to accommodate the following installations:

• LNG bunkering station.
• LNG storage tanks.
• Fuel gas handling system.
• Ventilation systems.
• GVU.
• GCU, where required by NR529.
• Vent mast.

The notation Gas-Prepared is awarded to vessels that meet the standards. The notation may be modified with the addition of the following:

• S – when specific arrangements are implemented for the ship structure.
• P – when specific arrangements are implemented for piping.
• ME-DF – when the main engine is dual-fuel.
• AEB – when the auxiliary engines and oil-fired boilers are either dual-fuel, or designed for future conversion to dual-fuel operation.

Edited from press release by David Rowlands

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/08092016/bv-to-grant-gas-prepared-notation-to-six-suezmax-tankers-3022/