Wärtsilä and CHI Receive LR AiP for Efficient Natural Gas Operating Fleet Concept

Sanjay Verma of Wärtsilä, Jim Smith of LR, and Zhao Zhijian of CHI with the Natural Gas Operating Fleet concept's AiP Certification.
Image: Wärtsilä

Wärtsilä Corporation (Wärtsilä), along with COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (CHI), today announced that the companies' joint development of an efficient natural gas operating fleet concept has been granted Approval in Principle (AiP) from Lloyd's Register's (LR).

The project, which has been carried out under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the three companies in June 2016, is intended to provide vessel operators with a more efficient and economical fleet design that meets current and future environmental requirements.

The vessels are expected to feature Wärtsilä dual-fuel engines and steerable thrusters when ordered.

The fleet design is comprised of four vessels, including a pusher tug, LNG storage barge, LNG regasification barge, and a floating liquefaction natural gas barge.

"The concept's main advantages are its operative flexibility, and the fleet's competitive CAPEX and OPEX costs. The pusher tug makes all the units mobile and transportable," explains Wärtsilä.

The AiP is said to have been issued for the vessels' designs following a preliminary hazard identification (HAZID) study by LR, which examined the fuel gas supply system, the transfer of LNG between the vessels, and the mooring arrangement of the fleet.

"This is a new and innovative fleet concept that is designed to create better efficiencies for companies involved in any part of the natural gas supply chain," Sanjay Verma, Director of Business Development for South East Asia at Wärtsilä Marine Solutions.

"By combining CHI's know-how in this field with Wärtsilä' s vast technological competences, we have together taken yet another step forward in creating an optimal LNG supply chain."