Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd has completed the development of a new generation liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier.
Dubbed the ‘EXTREM’ the carrier has been developed from the ‘Sayaendo 2’ Series which features a peapod-shaped continuous cover that houses the Moss spherical tanks. Unusually, the cover is integrated with the ship’s hull in lieu of a conventional hemispherical cover.
The new design promises to deliver greater structural efficacy as well as size and weight reductions that should both draw down fuel consumption and enhance compatibility to LNG terminals. With such assets in mind, it is perhaps understandable that MHI holds high hopes for the contemporary carrier. In a recent press statement the firm expressed its desire for the EXTREM to become, ‘a strategic product that will lead the LNG carrier market.’
The EXTREM differs from traditional Moss-type LNG carriers, as the EXTREM employs a continuous cover integrated with the ship’s hull to house all storage tanks completely, enabling the cover to be used to reinforce the hull for overall strength – particularly pertinent in frigid or icy-water regions. In contrast, conventional designs house pipes, wires and catwalks on top of the tanks, supported by complex structures – all in all a far more maintenance-heavy method.
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