ABS to class two LNG carriers

The classification services company, ABS, has announced that it has been selected it to class two LNG carriers for SK Shipping, which will both feature the KC-1 cargo containment system (CCS). This will bring the total number of joint ABS/KR class LNG carriers to five for Koreas Gas Corp. (KOGAS).

Both of these new vessels will have a capacity of 174 000 m³ and will be built at the Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in South Korea. The other three vessels will also have a capacity of 174 000 m³ and will feature the NO 96 type CCS, but will be built at the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) shipyard. Of these three additional vessels, one is for Hyundai LNG Shipping, and the other two for Korea Line Corp. Once delivered, the vessels will carry shale gas from the US to South Korea as of 2017, and be chartered to KOGAS.

Christopher Wiernicki – the Chairman, President and CEO of ABS – said: “ABS has a long association with South Korea’s ship owners and shipbuilders and has supported them as they push the development of ships and systems to new levels of innovation and efficiency […] The award of these five class contracts confirms our position as a trusted partner to South Korea’s leading maritime and shipbuilding companies.”

The KC-1 CCS was developed by KOGAS with the Hyundai, Daewoo and Samsung shipyards over seven years. The system minimises the impact caused by a deformation of the primary barrier on the hull’s insulation system. It also has a 1.5 mm stainless steel corrugated membrane – which serves as both the primary and secondary barrier – as well as a polyurethane foam, which has a density of 115 kg/m³ as the insulation material. This set-up is usually used for shore-based storage applications.

An Extended Approval in Principal and General Design Approval for this system was issued by ABS in 2014.

Dr. Hoseong Lee, the ABS Vice President of Global Korea Business Development, said: “ABS worked with KOGAS toward design approval of the KC-1 containment concept for almost a decade, and we are delighted to have received the award of class for the first ships that will feature the system.

“As global gas demand grows and industry continues to seek new techniques for its safe transportation, ABS will continue to play a leading technology role.”

Edited from press release by David Rowlands

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/lng-shipping/27102015/abs-to-class-two-lng-carriers-1533/