Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Co (DSIC) and France’s GTT claim to have moved a step closer to the shipowners’ dream – ballast-free shipping.
The Chinese shipbuilder and the French cargo containment system designer have just received approval in principle (AiP) from Lloyd’s Register (LR) for their 30,000-cbm B-FREE LNG carrier design.
The duo claim the innovative design has several advantages over conventional designs, combining environmentally-friendly features with increased efficiency as well as predicted lower build and operating costs.
“Savings in build cost are expected through the avoidance of fitting a ballast water treatment system (BWTS) and not having to comply with the Performance Standard for Protective Coatings (PSPC) for ballast tanks, ballast piping, pumps and values,” DSIC and GTT said in a statement.
“Operational savings should be seen from not having to, for example, run and maintain a BWTS, ballast systems and maintain ballast tank coatings.”
DSIC and GTT says initial predictions also show lower fuel consumption compared to standard designs as well as lower LNG boil-off due to the GTT membrane, compared to a Type C tank.
“While we are still in the initial stage of the project and the design is subject to ongoing change, the initial results are indicating that we will meet our goal of having a ballast-free ship that is equal to, or better than existing conventional designs,” said DSIC vice chief engineer Ma Yingbin.
“The cumulative improvements in operating costs coming from the combination of the various innovations and new ideas applied to the design are better than we anticipated.”
However, Ma was quick to add this is only the preliminary results phase and that further work is need to refine and validate the design.
He said the interest received from several owners and operators has “exceeded our expectations” and that DSIC had been “consulting some experienced owners for their thoughts and feedback”.
David Colson, commercial vice-president of GTT, said: “The ballast-free was an old idea that GTT had in mind several years ago and we are excited to see it now materialised in a conceptual design thanks to the excellent work from DSIC R&D institute and the very strong support and advice of LR.
“The good teamwork between the three parties in China enabled us to move forward with the design to this stage.
“The first results show that this ballast-free design has also introduced complimentary advantages such as a reduction in the number of cargo tanks, handling equipment, engine power, and more.”
Nick Brown, LR Marine & Offshore Director, commented: “We are privileged to be working on this truly innovative design that could bring many benefits to the industry as well as offering a potential solution to one of our most challenging environmental concerns.”
“This work builds on the JDP we had together for a low-ballast VLCC and also follows on from the work LR did in supporting DSIC to prepare for building LNG carriers using GTT membrane technology.”
