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preface|LNG Shipping at 50
LNG shipping – one
continuous golden age
Jointly sponsored by SIGTTO and
GIIGNL, LNG Shipping at 50 is a
celebration of the first half century
of commercial LNG carrier and terminal
operations. The publication also marks
the 35th and 43rd anniversaries of the
Society of International Gas Tanker and
Terminal Operators (SIGTTO) and the
International Group of LNG Importers
(GIIGNL), respectively.
The two organisations and their
memberships have done a sterling job of
developing guidance on safe operations;
promulgating industry best practice;
and providing forums for the airing
of concerns and discussion of topical
issues. The exemplary safety record built
up by the LNG shipping and terminal
industry over the past five decades owes
much to the central roles played by
SIGTTO and GIIGNL.
The LNG industry has an exceptional
story to tell and LNG Shipping at 50
contributes to the telling of that story.
The publication starts with a review of
the early days to show how the industry
developed the innovative solutions
needed to ensure the safe transport of
LNG by sea. The articles in this section
then describe how these solutions were
then continuously improved upon as
more countries turned to seaborne natural
gas imports to meet their energy needs.
Pioneering people, ships, shipyards,
containment systems, class societies
and equipment suppliers are reviewed
to highlight the key role they played in
facilitating the safe and smooth operation
of the LNG supply chain, including at the
critical ship/shore interface.
Safety is the No 1 priority in the LNG
industry and the safety regime section of
the magazine examines the cornerstones
that underpin an unparalleled safety
record. Quite aside from the IGC
Code and the work of SIGTTO and
GIIGNL, there are the contributions of
class, training establishments, vetting
programmes and escort tug services.
LNG Shipping at 50’s survey of
progress to date is followed by a look
at the many innovations introduced
by the industry in more recent years,
not least floating LNG production
vessels, regasification units, Arctic
LNG, small-scale LNG and LNG
bunkering. These pages show that the
LNG industry is not only innovating
at a faster pace than ever before but
also beginning a major new era of
expansion that will encompass a range
of players, places and applications
undreamt of 50 years ago.
Mike Corkhill, Editor
September 2014
The authors
Mike Corkhill has been editing LNG
World Shipping for 10 years and writing
about oil, gas and chemical tanker
shipping for the best part of four
decades. Following qualification as a
naval architect and an inaugural few
years as a Lloyd’s Register structural
surveyor, his first writing job was the
compilation of a book, LNG Carriers:
The Ships and Their Market, for Fairplay
in 1975.
Fifty years ago Syd Harris was a
young naval architect designing LPG
carrier tank and hull structures at UK
shipbuilder Hawthorn Leslie. His career
has focused solely on LPG and LNG
ships, including early LNGC pioneering
plan approval with ABS. He formed his
own consultancy firm in 1978 and is the
author of Fully Refrigerated LPG Carriers
as well as a regular contributor to LNG
World Shipping.
Andrew Clifton is the current
general manager of SIGTTO, having
been appointed in November 2012. His
pre-Society career includes 19 years at
sea, mainly on liquefied gas carriers, a
first class honours degree, three years at
the UK’s Marine Accident Investigation
Branch and 30 months in the SIGTTO
Secretariat as a technical adviser. Prior
to his present role, he spent six years in
Indonesia as LNG shipping operations
manager for the Tangguh LNG project.
Prior to his appointment as general
delegate to GIIGNL in 2010 Jean-Yves
Robin worked for Gaz de France and GDF
Suez in a range of jobs. These included
heading one team analysing economic
and strategic aspects of new exploration
and production targets and another
responsible for the company’s economic
intelligence activities. Presently seconded
from GDF Suez, Jean-Yves is working
fulltime for GIIGNL.
Bill Wayne became general manager of
SIGTTO in May 2007 on retirement from
Shell. His five-and-one-half-year tenure,
which ended in November 2012 when he
handed over the reins to Andrew Clifton,
coincided with a time of great change
during which the Society’s membership
experienced unparalleled growth. His
involvement with SIGTTO actually goes
back much further, to the early days of
the Society when he represented Shell
on the General Purposes Committee and
participated in many of the early working
groups devoted to technical issues.
Mike Corkhill (MC) Syd Harris (SH) Andrew Clifton (AC)
Jean-Yves Robin (J-YR)
Bill Wayne (BW)
A SIGTTO/GIIGNL commemorative issue LNG shipping at 50 I 5