LNG

May 2 (LNGJ) - DNV, the European maritime classification society, said a total of 23 new orders for alternative-fuelled vessels were registered in April 2024. A total of 12 of the 23 newbuilds were methanol-fuelled ships, seven were for LNG-fuelled vessels and four for ships to be powered by ammonia.

   “All of the methanol orders come from the tanker segment, where the uptake of alternative fuels has been low up to now. The momentum for ammonia continues,” DNV explained. “Following a quiet month in March, these strong figures confirm the overall trend of a steady increase in new orders for alternative fuels,” it added. A total of 93 new orders have been added to DNV’s alterative-fuelled vessels data base in the first four months of 2024.

Deltamarin, the Finnish ship design company based in the port of Turku and which is part of the China Merchants Group conglomerate headquartered in Hong Kong, has received approvals in principle from the Nordic DNV classification society.

European maritime classification society DNV has established a Future Ship Joint Innovation Centre in Shanghai in partnership with China State Shipbuilding Corp. (CSSC), the world’s leading shipbuilding group.

DNV and CSSC said the facility would allow both companies to cooperate on ship and offshore field technical innovation and to advance digitalization while providing technical support and general solutions for the maritime industry.

The new Innovation Centre was formally opened by CSSC Vice President Sheng Jigang and DNV Maritime Chief Executive Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen.

The CSSC yards include China’s leading LNG carrier builder Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding of Shanghai.

Its current orders include building six LNG carriers for a partnership including Japanese shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines and China’s Cosco Shipping to be delivered in 2025.

DNV joint operator

DNV will operate the Innovation Centre with the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute (SDARI) and the cooperation accord was signed by SDARI’s President Lv Zhiyong and DNV’s Senior Vice President and Regional Manager Norbert Kray.

The Centre will set up three joint work groups on reducing carbon-dioxide and promoting digital and smart shipping.

“The establishment of this Centre is an important step for a deepened strategic cooperation between CSSC and DNV, China and Europe,” stated CSSC VP Sheng.

“Additionally, the mutual trust and advantages gained will pave the way for an in-depth technical exchange between SDARI and DNV China, accelerating research on green and intelligent shipping technology towards a global maritime transformation,” Sheng added.

DNV Maritime’s CEO Ørbeck-Nilssen said it was a great honour cooperate with CSSC and SDARI to establish the Centre.

Support

“DNV will support the Centre with its full global expertise. Together we will work to ensure it will become a model for the maritime industry’s proactive response to decarbonization and digital transformation,” Ørbeck-Nilssen declared.

Others who attended the ceremony included CSSC’s Assistant President and Director General of Technology Division Xu Miao, SDARI’s Vice President Li Lu and DNV’s Senior Vice President and Reginal Strategic Business Development Director James Huang,.

Also in attendance were DNV's Vice President and Regional Customer Relations Director Hou Juzhen, Vice President and Head of Technical Centre China Øyvind Pettersen and members from the new Centre and its working groups.

Gaztransport and Technigaz (GTT), the French LNG storage technology company, received three approvals from European classification society DNV on its latest development projects in alternative fuels.

European classification society DNV said there were eight more liquefied natural gas-powered vessels ordered in March 2023 as LNG bunkering fuel prices were much lower than at the turn of the year at just over $820 per tonne.

European maritime classification society DNV said that liquefied natural gas-powered vessels led the way among the 275 newbuild orders made during 2022, though the start of 2023 has seen a muted market for LNG-fuelled orders even as Rotterdam bunkering prices tumbled.

European maritime classification society DNV said that liquefied natural gas-fuelled vessels led the way among the 275 newbuild orders made during 2022.

European maritime classification society DNV said that there was still momentum in orders for LNG-powered vessels from ship owners in the month of November even at a time of very elevated LNG bunker prices in ports such as Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

According to the latest figures from DNV’s Alternative Fuels Insight (AFI) platform, 17 LNG vessels were added in November with container vessels and car carriers constituting nearly two thirds of the orders.

The total order figure for LNG-fuelled ships for the year to date has now reached 203 and the overall total is 857 ships operating or on order.

“With the preliminary agreement at the European Union last week that shipping would be included in the EU's Emissions Trading System starting from 2024, all low-carbon options now makes even more sense,” said Martin Wold, Principal Consultant in DNV’s Maritime Advisory business.

“Methane emissions will also be included, so methane slip from engines will come under even greater scrutiny,” added Wold.

Containerships lead

The DNV data showed that the total number of LNG-powered ships in operation or on order at the end of November 2022 comprised in the largest sectors 42 containerships in operation and 176 on order, 10 car carriers operating and 106 on order, 46 crude oil tankers operating and 43 on order and 42 oil-chemical tankers operating and 46 on order.

There were also 68 bulk carriers using and planning to use LNG, 50 car and passenger ferries, 39 cruise liners, 38 tugs, 37 offshore supply vessels and 32 RoPax ships.

This data does not include smaller inland vessels and barges that are part of the Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp (ARA) refining hub transportation in northwest Europe.

Analysts note that LNG remained the preferred low-carbon solution despite current gas pricing which is expected to last into the near future.

That’s as LNG priced in fuel oil terms at Rotterdam increased on December 6 to $2,414 a tonne compared with $1,890 per tonne on November 6.

Among other emissions-reducing fuels, Ultra Low Sulfur Fuel Oil (ULSFO) at the Dutch port declined over the past month to $690.00 per tonne on December 6 versus $923.50 per tonne on November 6.

Nov 3 (LNGJ) - European maritime classification society DNV has opened an office in Shanghai to capture LNG carriers and alternative fuel-powered newbuilds business from Chinese shipyards. “China's shipbuilding industry has made great progress in recent years, scaling up its value chains to more advanced and complex vessels,” said DNV.

   “The creation of this team demonstrates DNV's commitment to the Chinese market," said Norbert Kray, DNV's Regional Manager for Greater China. “Both energy and maritime industries are transforming, with LNG and other alternative fuels essential in this process,” added Kray.

Gaztransport and Technigaz (GTT), the French LNG storage technology company for ships and onshore, said it received two approvals from maritime classification societies for its new three-tank LNG tanker design.

The Approvals in Principle (AiP) came from Norwegian class society DNV and France’s Bureau Veritas.

DNV and BV have issued approvals in principle for the three-tank LNG carrier design for the Mark III and No. 96 technologies developed by GTT.

“This technological solution is aimed at increasing the profitability and overall performance of the vessel,” stated GTT.

GTT explained that the three-tank LNG carrier concept allowed a reduction in construction costs through the suppression of one cofferdam, one pump tower and all associated cryogenic equipment such as liquid and gas domes, valves and piping.

Philippe Berterottière, Chairman and Chief Executive of GTT, said that for almost 60 years, the GTT Group has been constantly improving its technologies to meet customer  requirements as well as those of the regulatory authorities.

Fewer tanks

“Thirty years ago, we upgraded LNG carriers from five to four tanks and we now hope to bring the market forward with a three-tank LNG carrier. We hope to see this concept become standard in future years,” declared Berterottière.

The Paris-based company said that the overall surface area of the containment system will also be reduced by about 2,000 cubic metres, generating lower costs for the materials and vessel construction.

GTT added that improved ratio between the volume of LNG transported and the surface area of the cryogenic liner would make it possible to reduce the daily boil-off rate.

As an example, GTT estimated that it would achieve a boil-off rate as low as 0.080 percent of tank volume per day with the Mark III Flex technology compared to 0.085 percent of the volume per day with the LNG carriers currently in operation.

The company said that this new design could also offer time-savings for shipyards and could help optimise their construction schedules.

Jean-Baptiste Boutillier, Vice President of Development, Innovation and Technical Strategy at GTT, said the company was honoured by the granting of these two approvals in principle for the three-tank LNG carrier.

“We are convinced that this evolution will benefit all stakeholders by improving the performance of the LNG carrier while reducing its carbon footprint,” added Boutillier.