Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL; President: Koichi
Muto) today announced that MOL and Osaka Gas International Transport Inc.
(OGIT; President: Yuichi Funahashi), subsidiary of Osaka Gas Co., Ltd.
(President: Hiroshi Ozaki), have agreed on a plan to co-own two new LNG
carriers. The agreement also includes a contract with Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries Co., Ltd. (MHI) to build the new vessels, which will be co-owned by
MOL and OGIT. At the same time, MOL and Osaka Gas concluded a long-term LNG
transport contract.
The new vessels are slated for launching in 2014
and 2015. MOL will manage and operate the ships, which will sail under a
20-year contract with Osaka Gas.
The 153,000m3(*1) class carriers will be the first
in the world to feature a continuous tank cover for Moss spherical tanks
integrated into the ship’s hull. Housing the four spherical LNG storage tanks
under a continuous cover reduces weight while maintaining the ship’s overall
strength. This will improve fuel efficiency. The adoption of a new steam
turbine engine that features a system to capture and use reheating steam also
contributes to higher fuel efficiency.
The new vessels’ high fuel efficiency will
contribute to reduce CO2 emissions, and the use of natural gas as fuel will
reduce sulfur oxide emissions.
They will also adopt a ballast water treatment
system (*2), to protect marine ecosystems, and are built according to the Ship
Recycle Treaty (*3), which will minimize environmental impact during scrapping
and dismantling when their service lives end.
MOL strives to “offer transport solutions with a
lower environmental burden” as one of the environmental strategies set out in
the midterm management plan, “GEAR UP! MOL”. The company continually takes a
proactive stance in providing LNG transport services that perfectly meet
customer needs, backed by decades of experience and know-how as one of the
world’s largest owners and operators of LNG carriers.
*1. The total capacity of the four LNG tanks is
155,000m3.
*2. Ballast water is seawater pumped on board a
ship to stabilize it when no cargo is loaded, and then discharged when the
cargo is loaded. The transport of ballast water can disrupt local marine
ecosystems because vessels serving international routes move marine organisms
from one region to another. An international treaty on ballast water management
will establish requirements that ballast water be purified before discharge.
*3. A treaty aimed at reducing the risk of
environmental pollution and injuries to workers is currently in development. It
will require an inventory of harmful substances contained in the vessel, along
with their locations, to ensure safe dismantling and recycling of vessels at
the end of their useful lives.
[Outline of newbuilding LNG carrier]
(1) Length: About 288m
(2) Breadth: 48.94m
(3) Draft: 11.55m
(4) LNG storage tank: Stretched Moss-type
independent spherical type
(5) Gross tonnage: 138,000 tons
(6) Deadweight capacity: 75,000 tons
(7) Main engine: Reheat type steam turbine
(8) Speed: 19.5 knots
(9) Shipyard: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
(10) Ship Management Company: Mitsui O.S.K. Lines,
Ltd.
(11) Launch: 2014 (first vessel), 2015 (second
vessel)
(12) Names: To be announced
Source: BYM News. 29 October 2011
http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=94032
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