First ‘Gas Ready’ vessel named

A naming ceremony has been held for Barzan – the first in a series of six container vessels ordered by UASC. Barzan is the first vessel to receive DNV GL’s new ‘Gas Ready’ notation.

Henrik O. Madsen, Group President and CEO of DNV GL, said: “We are proud to help realise the world’s greenest ultra-large container vessel in close cooperation with UASC […] Due to the trust placed in our expertise on alternative fuels, we implemented the ‘LNG ready’ concept with UASC as an industry first, and are honoured that these next-generation ships are now also the first to receive DNV GL’s Gas Ready Notation. UASC acted as a pioneering customer that aims to even further reduce CO₂ emissions through conversion to gas fuel operation when the bunker infrastructure is ready.”

All 16 of UASC’s container vessels have been designed and constructed with the vision of undertaking a quick and cost efficient retrofit to LNG at a later stage. The DNV GL ‘Gas Ready’ class notation with nominators (D,S,MEc,AEi) demonstrates that the Barzan vessel is in compliance with the gas-fuelled notation rules, that structural reinforcements to support fuel containment system (LNG tank) have been verified (S), that the main engines installed can be converted to dual fuel (MEc ) and that the auxiliary engines installed can be operated on gas (AEi).

Jørn Hinge, President and Chief Executive Officer of UASC, said: “We are expanding our fleet by building larger, greener vessels, which support our global ambitions to fulfil or even exceed our customers’ environmental requirements. We have worked closely with DNV GL to deliver the industry’s greenest container vessel to date, the Barzan. We believe that this vessel, as well as the rest of the vessels in our new building programme, demonstrates our commitment to technical innovation and eco-effectiveness.

Gerd Würsig, Business Director LNG fuelled ships at DNV GL – Maritime, added: “Gas will almost certainly continue to grow in importance as a fuel for shipping over the coming few years […] The framework and technical requirements have been laid and as the infrastructure spreads it will become a more mainstream option for efficient and low emission shipping. It is by working with forward looking owners and yards like UASC and HHI that we at DNV GL have been able to build our competence in this field and offer such unique solutions as the ‘Gas Ready’ notation.”

In addition to LNG readiness, Barzan and her sister vessels include a Waste Heat Recovery System (WHRS), which converts thermal energy from the exhaust gas from the main engines into electrical power to maximise the efficiency of the system.

Edited from press release by Callum O'Reilly

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/small-scale-lng/11052015/first-gas-ready-vessel-named-726/