HANSA 03-2018

Schiffstechnik | Ship Technology
parts of the ship.
»We feel as though
we have solved the
problem of vapour return,
which is the biggest
issue in the LNG bunkering
business,« the Project Director
says. When loading an LNG carrier,
the vapour can be returned to shore.
When bunkering a ship, you have to deal
with that vapour on board. »You can use a
number of technologies, CNG is our primary
one. We compress the vapour on our
ship, but you have to have a voyage to use
the CNG. If the ship remains in a port for
a long time or does not exit its home port,
then you haven’t got the capability to burn
the LNG. Therefore, we will install a reliquefaction
unit or sub-cooler that takes
care of the vapour return,« he explains.
The key to a bunker vessel is the gas
process, he says. »Without it being right,
all you have is an LNG feeder vessel. But
a bunker vessel is very specialized, the
transfer system, the vapour return and
the boil-off control are critical. Thus, at
a very early stage we teamed up with a
process company – Babcock LGE, BSM’s
50% joint venture partner and co-owner
of the vessel – and they have become true
partners. So, the providers never leave
us, which de-risks our ships for the future.«
The ship will
be time chartered
to Nauticor
and will be operated
in the Baltic based at the
independent FSRU in Lithuania.
Commenting on future
prospects for the GSV sector in
BSM, Eltringham states: »Certainly
we do not want to have only one GSV,
we want to have many.« All the traditional
bunker are considered viable: Singapore,
Rotterdam/Europe or the Mississippi
area with its cruise vessels. »The
world is changing, a year ago I wouldn’t
have thought that there would be large
container ships with membrane atmospheric
tanks for fuel. But now with CMA
CGM there are going to be such vessels.
So you have to adapt your technology to
that, which we can with a process company
on board,« he adds.
Another key for BSM is crew training.
Since trained personnel in this new business
iwill be a really critical point, the new
GSV will also be a training school. The
Project Director explains »on a large scale
LNG carrier, the crew does not see any
cargo operations during a trip. But on a
bunkering vessel there can be LNG transfers
every day and you can acquire a lot of
knowledge and experience quickly.« M
World changes in favour of LNG
The LNG will be stored in two independent
IMO type C tanks which are designed
to contain the LNG with a minimum
temperature of -165 °C and maximum
vapour pressure of 3.75 bar(g), and can
be transferred to an LNG-fuelled vessel at
the rate of about 1,250 m³/hour through
the cryogenic flexible hoses. The natural
vaporising gas from the bunkering vessel
and the returned boil-off gas from the
LNG-fuelled vessel will be compressed
up to 220 bar(g), stored in two sets of 40’
containers and used for propulsion fuel
and electric. The tanks are produced by
Jiangnan in China but are Babcock LGE
design.
BUREAU VERITAS SA
Zweigniederlassung Hamburg
Marine Department
Veritaskai 1, 21079 Hamburg
Tel.: +49 40 23625-0
Fax: +49 40 2 36 25-620
E-Mail: ger_cha@de.bureauveritas.com
Visit us on: www.bureauveritas.de
www.veristar.com
HANSA International Maritime Journal – 155. Jahrgang – 2018 – Nr. 3 65