LNG

The American Bureau of Shipping, the US maritime classification society, has inaugurated an ABS Global LNG Academy in the Qatari capital Doha and dedicated to training and educating mariners in modern LNG vessel operations.

The American Bureau of Shipping, the US classification society, said the first liquefied natural gas-powered Newcastlemax bulk carrier in an order of 13 ABS-classed vessels for Eastern Pacific Shipping has been fuelled with LNG in a bunkering operation at Singapore, and was now heading for Australia to load iron ore for Asia.

The American Bureau of Shipping, the US classification society, has held its annual meeting of members in Houston and recalled a past year of success in enacting ship safety and technical development, including in the LNG and gas carriers sphere.

The American Bureau of Shipping, the US classification society, said the first of an order of 12 very large ethane carriers (VLECs) with LNG notation and built to ABS Class has been delivered from the Goeje shipyard in South Korea of Samsung Heavy Industries.

The “Seri Everest” was handed over to Zhejiang Satellite Petrochemical (STL) and is the first of a phase-one order by STL which was subsequently sold to the Malaysian shipping line, MISC Group.

The vessel with more than 98,000 cubic metres capacity is the largest VLEC ever built.

A second phase of the order also includes six vessels, bringing the total to 12, scheduled for trade from the US to China to support STL’s ethane cracker facility in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu.

“This is the first VLEC to be delivered with the LNG Cargo-Ready notation that was released by ABS in 2019,” said the US class society.

“The notation provides assurance to owners and charterers that the VLEC can be upgraded to trade LNG cargoes in the future,” ABS explained.

Christopher J. Wiernicki, Chairman, President and Chief Executive of Houston, Texas-based ABS said that as part of the shale-gas revolution, shipping of liquefied ethane was developing into a significant new market.

“At ABS we have supported this development from the early stages and are happy to see that this leadership role is being recognized in the current VLEC market,” added Wiernicki.

Yee Yang Chien, President and Group Chief Executive of MISC, said he was proud to welcome “Seri Everest” as the first VLEC in MISC’s existing fleet.

“With this first delivery, our VLEC has set a new benchmark in the ethane market,” added Yee.

“The ‘Seri Everest’ has the capacity of transporting large-scale ethane over long distances while ensuring the highest level of safety and reliability,” stated the MISC CEO.

“We hope to continue to capitalize on this opportunity as we are confident that we will gain a strong foothold to cater to the increasing demand in this niche segment,” said Yee.

The MISC CEO noted that he was pleased that the “Seri Everest” was delivered according to schedule amidst the disruption caused by the global Covid-19 pandemic.

Hohyun Jeong, SHI Executive Vice President for Engineering Operations, said that it was great to have the VLEC delivered on time during the pandemic as well as with the addition of the newly introduced ABS LNG Cargo Ready notation.

“The VLEC has been built with a cargo containment system for dual cargo loading and the cargo-handling system can be converted for LNG at any time, as needed,” Jeong explained.

“It has been all thanks to the close cooperation with ABS, STL and MISC working from anywhere, regardless of location,” he added.

ABS is the leader in provision of classification services to VLEC owners.

The US class society was chosen to oversee the very first order for six dedicated VLECs in 2014 by the Indian company, Reliance Industries.

ABS said the 87,000 cubic metres capacity VLECs have been successfully trading for Reliance and laid the foundation for the next generation of larger VLECs.

The American Bureau of Shipping, the US maritime classification society, said that in a new survey liquefied natural gas and hydrogen are viewed as the frontrunners to be the fuels that will help shipping reach the decarbonization ambitions set by the International Maritime Organization.

The American Bureau of Shipping, the US classification society, along with the American Club of insurers and Lamar University in Texas are calling on the industry to advance the cause of safety at sea with more comprehensive reporting requirements for injury and near-miss reporting.

American Bureau of Shipping Chairman and Chief Executive Christopher J. Wiernicki gave the US view on the future of the marine fuels market and the use of more liquified natural gas from 2020 onwards in a major speech at a shipping event in China.

Jan 9 (LNGJ) - The American Bureau of Shipping, the US classification society offering services for vessels and projects in LNG and other sectors, has formally opened its new global headquarters in the town if Spring in Texas. The HQ is a 10-storey, 326,800-sq-ft building housing employees from ABS and its affiliated companies. “This is a significant milestone in our 157-year history and reaffirms our commitment to provide industry-leading safety and practical technology solutions for marine and offshore industry challenges,’’ said ABS Chairman, President and Chief Executive Christopher J. Wiernicki. “A five-year journey that started as an idea has now culminated in a building reflecting our leadership position and our continued vision for growth,” he added.

The American Bureau of Shipping, the US maritime classification society, was selected by the owners to oversee construction of an articulated tug barge for LNG bunkering in North America to be constructed at the VT Halter Marine shipyard at Pascagoula in the state of Mississippi.

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) Chief Executive Christopher J. Wiernicki said in a speech at a convention in Rhode Island that the shipping industry was experiencing rapid and sometimes disruptive change.