Air Liquide markets new technology that reliquefies natural gas boil-off for LNG ships
Air Liquide, the French industrial gases company, said it was marketing an exclusive, patented technology that is perfectly suited to the needs of liquefied natural gas carriers and LNG bunkering vessels.
French industrial gases firm Air Liquide broadens LNG activities with boil-off system
Air Liquide, the France-based industrial gases company, said it was continuing to develop its latest boil-off gas reliquefaction technology onboard a second LNG carrier newbuild after successful trials on a first vessel at a shipyard in South Korea.
Daewoo Shipbuilding loses case in Korean battle over patent for LNG reliquefaction technology
Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering, one of the world’s leading builders of liquefied natural gas carriers, has lost a court case filed against its South Korean rivals over a patent for reliquefaction technology.
Voyage charters by LNG carriers present risks
One complication is where a vessel is programmed to load different grades of LNG on consecutive voyages and maintains a heel
Nick Barber
The recent expansion of the LNG market as well as innovation in production and storage is also changing the way LNG carriers are used.
The usual practice has been to transport LNG to shore-based terminals in ships on long-term charters, specifically built for a particular route.The stability of the LNG transport industry has been based on a limited number of producers and users carrying out their trade along well travelled routes.
LNG handling systems develop along the value chain
Harald Dany, Atlas Copco Gas & Process, Cologne, Germany
One of the challenging aspects of transporting liquefied natural gas to the growing world market is finding the most efficient way to handle boil-off gas during the carrier’s voyage.
Many LNG carriers have employed steam-turbine propulsion systems fuelled by boil-off. Outside of the area of steam-based propulsion, there is no efficient use of the gas.
At the same time, the good, old steam propulsion has been losing popularity and could actually become “a thing of the past”, some experts have suggested.
Mathematical formula finds profit in LNG carrier selection
Sokrates Tolgos
The LNG business is generally governed by risk-sharing consortia as well as by long-term supply and ship charter contracts with durations up to 20 or 30 years.
A reliable and stable LNG supply from the producing to the consuming country is an essential requirement in this business, but equally imperative is the continuous search for increased profitability in the transport chain.
