Types of LNG Carriers

Written by Alan Sacchi

During the history of LNG transport on the seas, there were many attempts, new
projects and ideas for the manner of transport and the design of LNG carriers. But
in the last fifteen years, two main types of LNG carriers have been defined; these
are carriers with spherical tanks and membrane-type carriers.

LNG Carriers with spherical Storage Tanks

(Kvaerner-Moss System)
The first LNG carrier with spherical tanks, the so-called Kvaerner-Moss System, was
the "Norman Lady" (87600m3) launched in Stavanger, Norway in 1973. Before this
project experienced its economic boom, it passed a number of tests, analyses and
studies. The studies encompassed:

Dynamic loads of the ship during navigation with special reference to stress of
the hull (bending moments and shearing forces), acceleration and bending

Special reference was accorded to the "equatorial ring" on which the greatest
loads are placed since the spherical tank "hangs" on the ring

Thermal stresses of the construction with special analysis of the equatorial

ring

Analysis of the storage tank and its insulation

"Fatigue" of the storage tanks/materials which were designed of 9% nickelsteel

Although the first carriers had storage tanks that were made of 9% nickel-steel,
that technology was quickly replaced by aluminum tanks. Aluminum storage tanks
proved to be more resistant to mechanical stress, rupture, and it was easier to
correctly form them into a sphere. The main characteristic of the spherical tanks is
the equatorial ring on which the tank "hangs". The greatest mechanical and
thermal stresses are precisely on the "equator". That part of the ships structure
must be able to absorb the deflections of the ships hull on one hand and the
thermal and mechanical strains of the tank on the other hand. These storage tanks
have an insulation which makes possible only around 0.10% of boil-off. The tanks
are mostly insulated with several different layers, some of which are: glass wool,
aluminum foil (vapor permeable) and various expansion foams. The "storage" in
which the tank is located is considered to be a secondary barrier and this area is
usually inert or under dry air.
Until 2000, 54% of all LNG carriers were spherical, primarily because Japanese
shipyards had a license for the construction of only this type of ships, and since at
the same time the Japanese are the largest LNG importers, this was one way to
enter the very rich market. Today, membrane type ships have surpassed the
spherical ships in number. One of the future advantages of the spherical tanks will
be for the terminals which will be located in the polar region (Russia).

Membrane-type
Technology)

LNG

Carriers

(GTT

GTT technology represents two main types of membrane-type ships and recently,
after the union between Gaz Transport and Tehnigaz in 1994, a third type of
membrane-type carriers emerged.
The two basic concepts of GTT technology are the Mark III and No. 96 System, and
the third one is a combination of these two and is appropriately named CSI
(Combine System One). The membrane-type ships were developed during the
1960s, and both concepts use a thin flexible metal "membrane" which is in contact
with the cargo. The system has the characteristics of a sandwich where the cargo
presses on the membrane; the insulation material presses on the membrane and in
the end, everything leans on the ships inner hull.

No. 96 System (Gaz Transport System)

The primary and secondary membranes are equal in this system and they are
made of invar, and each membrane is only 0,7 millimeters thick. Invar is a material
containing 36% nickel and the rest is steel, and as such has a minimal, that is,
negligible dilatation coefficient. This system uses plywood boxes filled with perlite
as insulation.
Perlite is a material based on treated volcanic rocks and has good insulation
characteristics which do not change over time. The system is made of a primary
membrane which leans on the first insulation layer, a secondary membrane which
leans on the second insulation layer and finally, the second insulation layer leans
on the ships inner hull. The total thickness of the system amounts to 0, 5 meters.

Mark III System (Technigaz System)

The primary membrane in this system is made of low-temperature stainless steel
and has a thickness of 1,2 millimeters. Since steel has a significant dilatation
coefficient, these membranes are well-defined and the joints enable them to move
in two directions under light loads. As insulation material for these ships, the
polyurethane foam is reinforced with fiberglass. The secondary barrier is much
cheaper and simpler, and is made of triplex. Triplex is a type of a plastic mass
which is vapor permeable but which on the other hand can contain liquid. The total
thickness of the system depends on the type of project for which the ship is
intended.
In both membrane systems, boil-off of 0, 15% is guaranteed although in reality its
quantity is much smaller. Until 2000, there were only a few membrane ships but
due to their significant flexibility and changes in the LNG spot market, in the past
few years they have "surpassed" spherical ships in number. This type of ship is
mostly produced in South Korea, but China has "produced" three membrane LNG
carriers in the past three years.

Today there are four containment systems in use for new build vessels. Two of the designs are
of the self-supporting type, while the other two are of the membrane type and today the
patents are owned by Gaz Transport & Technigaz (GTT).

There is a trend towards the use of the two different membrane types instead of the selfsupporting storage systems. This is most likely because prismatic membrane tanks utilize the
hull shape more efficiently and thus have less void space between the cargo-tanks and ballast
tanks. As a result of this, Moss-type design compared to a membrane design of equal capacity
will be far more expensive to transit the Suez Canal. However, self-supporting tanks are more
robust and have greater resistance to sloshing forces, and will possibly be considered in the
future for offshore storage where bad weather will be a significant factor.

LNG tanker, side view

Interior of a non-spherical tank

Moss tanks (Spherical IMO type B LNG tanks)[edit]

Named after the company that designed them, the Norwegian company Moss Maritime, the
Spherical IMO type B LNG tanks are spherical in shape. Most Moss type vessels have 4 or 5
tanks.
The outside of the tank has a thick layer of foam insulation that is either fitted in panels or in
more modern designs wound round the tank. Over this insulation is a thin layer of "tinfoil"
which allows the insulation to be kept dry with a nitrogen atmosphere. This atmosphere is
constantly checked for any methane that would indicate a leak of the tank. Also the outside of
the tank is checked at 3 month intervals for any cold spots that would indicate breakdown in
the insulation.
The tank is supported around its circumference by the equatorial ring which is supported by a
large circular skirt which takes the weight of the tank down to the ships structure. This skirt
allows the tank to expand and contract during cool-down and warm-up operations. During
cool-down or warm-up the tank can expand or contract about 60 cm (24 in). Because of this
expansion and contraction all piping into the tank comes in the top and is connected to the
ships lines via flexible bellows.
Inside each tank there is a set of spray heads. These heads are mounted around the equatorial
ring and are used to spray Liquid LNG onto the tank walls to reduce the temperature.
Tanks normally have a working pressure of up to 22 kPa (3.2 psi), but this can be raised for
an emergency discharge. If both main pumps fail then to remove the cargo, the tank's safety
valves are adjusted to lift at 1bar. Then the filling line which goes to the bottom of the tank is
opened along with the filling lines of the other tanks on board. The pressure is then raised in

the tank with the defective pumps which pushes the cargo into the other tanks where it can be
pumped out.

TGZ Mark III[edit]

Designed by Technigaz, these tanks are of the membrane type. The membrane consists of
stainless steel with 'waffles' to absorb the thermal contraction when the tank is cooled down.
The primary barrier, made of corrugated stainless steel of about 1.2 mm (0.047 in) thickness
is the one in direct contact with the cargo liquid (or vapour in empty tank condition). This is
followed by a primary insulation which in turn is covered by a secondary barrier made of a
material called "triplex" which is basically a metal foil sandwiched between glasswool sheets
and compressed together. This is again covered by a secondary insulation which in turn is
supported by the ship's hull structure from the outside.
So, going from the inside of the tank outwards, we have:LNG
Primary barrier of 1.2 mm thick corrugated/waffled stainless steel
Primary insulation (also called the interbarrier space)
Secondary barrier of triplex membrane
Secondary insulation (also called the insulation space)
Ship's hull structure.
GT96[edit]

Designed by Gaz Transport, the tanks consists of a primary and secondary thin membrane
made of the material Invar which has almost no thermal contraction. The insulation is made
out of plywood boxes filled with perlite and continuously flushed with nitrogen gas. The
integrity of both membranes is permanently monitored by detection of hydrocarbon in the
nitrogen. An evolution is proposed by NG2, with the replacement of nitrogen by argon as the
flushed inert and insulation gas. Argon has a better insulation power than nitrogen, which
could save 10% of boil-off gas.

Membrane tanks offered by GTT are the Mark III and the No 96 systems. These
involve duel membrane interiors, with insulation both between the two
membranes and between the outer membrane and the hull. The tanks thus
formed are surrounded by the hull structure with ballast tanks, pipe ducks access
passage ways etc. A tripod mast rises from the aft end of the tank, enclosing
discharge lines from the immersed cargo pumps, a stripping line and filling line.
The Mk III system uses stacked foam panels for insulation covered by triplex and
stainless steel membranes. The No 96 system employs stacked plywood boxes
filled with perlite insulation covered by 0.7mm invar membranes. Experience
with leaks has lead to widespread variations in the Mk III system. The integrity of
membrane systems is now verified with vacuum tests after the 1 st special survey
and then every five years.

Moss Spherical Tanks produce a familiar and distinctive LNG appearance. The
inner tank shell is stainless steel, coated with insulation, all protected above the
weather deck by a steel cover, and below by the ships double bottom and ballast
tanks. The spherical tank is supported within the hull by a high tensile steel
skirt, under a thermal brake of stainless steel. A pipe tower runs through the
centre of the tank, from a foundation at the bottom to a dome at the top. Moss
spherical ships do not require the secondary barrier of the membrane systems.
Disadvantages when compared with other containment systems include, Suez
penalties and difficulties building ships bigger than those already in service.

Rising performance, widening options in LNG

containment
01 Dec 2014

The recently delivered, 155,000m3-capacity Seishu Maru heralds Mitsubishi's Sayaendo

concept, using a continuous cover over the Moss spherical tanks
Dynamic market forces over recent years have spurred enhancements to the principal
LNG cargo containment systems, and have fostered the development of new solutions
both by established cryogenic specialists and other industry stakeholders; David Tinsley
reports.
A common thread in the LNG containment system evolutionary process is the improvement
in system performance. Recent and impending fleet additions embodying advances in
containment design are claimed to be capable of achieving a cargo boil-off rate (BOR) of just
0.08%/day. This may be compared with the 0.10%-0.12% attained by some of the latest
tonnage, which had put down a new marker for the industry after the 0.15% level reached
with ships constructed in the 1980s.
The small percentage gains belie the considerable absolute savings that stand to be accrued.
To give added perspective to this progress, 1970s-built LNG tankers typically had a BOR of
0.25%.
Membrane systems from Gaz Transport & Technigaz (GTT) and Moss Maritimes spherical
tanks remain the pre-eminent technologies at sea today in the LNG carrier fleet, reflecting
outstanding service track records dating from the 1970s. But commercial ambitions and
vibrant technical endeavours have led to a situation where the LNG tanker and floating LNG
(FLNG) markets are now presented with a considerably wider range of options in cryogenic
cargo containment than ever before. Moreover, the engineering specialists have added
another string to their bow in adapting existing technologies and developing new proposals
for LNG bunker tanks, given the rising population of ships using LNG as fuel.
South Koreas long-mooted KC-1 membrane containment system is set to make its seagoing
debut within the next few years as part of the next stage of LNG carrier fleet development
initiated by natural gas utility Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS).
During August, KOGAS launched a tender for six 174,000m LNG carriers to transport shale
gas from the Sabine Pass terminal in the US to Korean reception terminals over a 20-year
period. The project stands to boost the domestic maritime industrial sector as a whole, since
the tender is confined to South Korean shipping companies and requires construction in
South Korean yards. Furthermore, the KOGAS stipulation that two of the planned newbuilds
should incorporate the KC-1 tank system provides a platform for home-grown technology in
a field dominated by overseas licensors.
The KC-1 solution was devised by KOGAS in collaboration with Daewoo Shipbuilding &
Marine Engineering, Hyundai Heavy Industries and Samsung Heavy Industries, and drew on
know-how from Korean subcontractors and universities. The motivation, at both corporate
and national levels, has been to reduce reliance on foreign technology and the associated
financial outgoings. Although Korean shipbuilders are the commanding global force in LNG
carrier construction, the industry says that royalties equivalent to around 4-5% of newbuild
prices are having to be paid to foreign licensors of the core technology of cargo containment.
The five-year development project, backed by the Korean Ministry of Knowledge Economy,
saw the formulation of the KC-1 system in 2010, subsequently certified by major
classification societies and the subject of more than 50 patent applications filed both at home
and abroad. It is claimed that the structure is simpler and accordingly less costly to fabricate

than existing membrane designs, and that the nature of the primary and secondary barrier
arrangements offers the highest integrity in terms of leakage and thermal shock prevention.
The importance attached by Korean yards to reducing dependence on foreign containment
technology, a move which could ultimately have a significant influence on the shipbuilding
bottom line, has been underscored by the companion development of a raft of new system
design proposals by individual builders. Thus, the hitherto narrow choice of options available
to the client market has been widened not only by KC-1 but also by solutions from the
heavyweights in LNG carrier production.
Samsung unveiled its own technology in 2011 in the form of the Smart Containment-System
Advanced (SCA) solution, and has recently presented a new version known as SCA-WS,
claimed to offer a boil-off rate of 0.088% per day. Daewoo has now formulated a membranetype system known as Solidus, complementing its earlier- developed Aluminium Cargo Tank
Independent-type B (ACT-1B) containment design for LNG-FPSOs and LNGCs. Solidus
features double stainless steel barriers and reinforced polyurethane insulation form. The
secondary barrier is secured to the hull with load bearing mastic, and a mechanical fastening
is used to ensure insulation panels stay in place in the event of any bonding detachment.
Hyundai is also ready to provide customers with an alternative to the established containment
designs by way of its 2013-floated HMCCS membrane system for LNG carriers and LNGFPSOs. The home-grown solution features STS304L and Invar-alloy barriers and new
insulation panels of low-density polyurethane foam and glass fibre composite material, to
achieve an indicated BOR of 0.09% per day.
Up till now, an absence of market uptake of indigenous Korean systems has meant that there
is no service record by which necessarily conservative shipowners or charterers can judge
new offerings against tried-and-tested cryogenic cargo containment designs. However, the
operational introduction of KC-1 could kick-start a step change in the industry, and may open
the way for the other Korean solutions.
In the meantime, and notwithstanding renewed investment of late in Moss spherical tank
systems, membrane-type containment from French cryogenic engineering specialist
Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT) continues to predominate. Far from being complacent about
its leading market position, GTT has augmented its offering with a succession of design
enhancements and extensions, and is building a presence with its technology in the rapidly
evolving fields of LNG bunkering and liquefied ethane transportation.
At the 2014 Gastech conference and exhibition in Seoul, GTT announced the strengthening
of its portfolio through the Mark V and NO 96 MAX systems for LNG carriers. Both offer
reductions in cargo evaporation, at a guaranteed BOR of 0.09% of cargo volume per day
combined with an optimisation of the construction process and cost.
The Mark V design, a variant of the Mark III system, features a new, metallic secondary
barrier, and has been made available for installation in LNGCs under construction from 2016
onwards. For release at the same time, the NO 96 Max arrangement is an upgrade of the NO
96 GW design, and incorporates an innovative pillar-type insulation box arrangement. In the
NO 96 GW solution, glass wool replaced the perlite thermal insulation material of the NO 96
system.
Having provided membrane solutions in ethylene and LPG carriers since the 1960s, GTT is
now promoting the technology for multi-gas vessels and very large ethane carriers (VLECs),
demand for the latter having arisen by virtue of the US shale gas revolution. GTT contends

that membrane containment maximises a given hull envelopes cargo carrying potential and
lends itself to ethanes higher density in its liquid state.
Ethane is the second most important constituent of natural gas, after methane. Historically,
ethane has been transported in small, liquefied ethane/ethylene/LPG carriers using Type C
containment systems. A Lloyds Register report estimates that the largest feasible size of
ships with Type C tanks is currently around 40,000m, and it is felt that for ethane carriers
of 80,000m-plus, the adoption of either prismatic Type B tanks or membrane systems
would provide the likely best technical pathways, based on ships with three or four tanks.
In fact, an innovative tank design developed by the German company Hartmann Reederei has
been nominated in a breakthrough VLEC deal announced in September. The Star-Trilobe
containment system will be employed for a planned series of five 85,000m liquefied ethane
tankers to the account of United Ethane Carriers, a joint venture of Jaccar Holdings of
Luxembourg and the Hartmann Group. The Star-Trilobe configuration combines three
cylinders into a single unit, achieving better utilisation of the cargo section, to the extent of a
claimed 30% increase in cargo capacity relative to vessels of equivalent dimensions.
10-year time charters to Oriental Energy(Nanjing) have been secured for the VLECs, which
will be further technically distinguished by dual-fuel two-stroke propulsion machinery suited
to operation on ethane.
Another fleet project in which the design has been developed specifically in mind of the
emerging demand for ethane transportation entails a series of four 35,000m liquefied
ethane/ethylene carriers at Jiangnan Shipyard in China. Ordered by Navigator Gas, each
vessel has been specified with cargo systems from TGE Marine of Bonn. The three-tank
layout involves a maximum individual tank size of more than 12,000m, rating the semirefrigerated ships as the worlds largest with Type C tanks.
It is anticipated that large-scale exports of ethane will become available from surplus US
shale gas production and that international petrochemical companies will increasingly aim to
diversify feedstock supplies through purchases of low-cost US ethane. TGE Marine is
currently developing conceptual designs for ethane carriers larger than the 35,000dwt class
due to be delivered to Navigator Gas through 2016.
The Moss spherical cargo tank system is central to the innovative Sayaendo concept
developed and built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The unique design features four Moss
tanks protected by a continuous cover integrated with the ships hull, and made its seagoing
debut in the 155,000m LNG carrier Seishu Maru, delivered from MHIs Nagasaki complex
in September. Wilhemsen Technical Solutions, whose subsidiary TI Group supplied the cargo
tank insulation, reported that the vessel completed her gas trial at the stipulated boil-off rate
of just 0.08%.
The Sayaendo design transports 8,000m more than a typical 147,000m Moss-type LNG
carrier without any increase in beam by using vertically stretched tanks that maintain the
same tank diameter. It also offers a major advance in fuel efficiency through the adoption of
MHIs new ultra-steam turbine (UST) propulsion plant. Seishu Maru was built to the account
of a Japanese consortium including NYK Line and Chubu Electric, and MHI has logged eight
orders to date for Sayaendo LNGCs from various owners.
The design draws on the integrated hull structure (IHS) concept, used under licence from
Aker Arctic Technology of Finland. As well as protecting the tanks, IHS provides enhanced
longitudinal strength, while facilitating reduced overall steel weight and accommodating a
greater tank size.

Aker Arctic has also licensed IHS to Hyundai Heavy Industries, which has been contracted
by Petronas to build four 150,200m-capacity LNG carriers, each incorporating four Moss
spheres of about 42m diameter and the continuous tank cover structure. This type of cargo
containment can accept any filling level and associated sloshing pressures.
After a gap of many years, the SPB prismatic independent type tank system was nominated
for a Japanese LNG carrier deal announced in early 2014. Originally developed by
Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI), the IHI-SPB containment system was initially
employed in two LNG tankers delivered in 1993 to serve a long-term contract with
Philips/Marathon transporting Alaskan LNG to Japanese buyer Tokyo Gas. The exemplary
service record of the Polar Eagle and Arctic Sun in maintaining 20 years uninterrupted
operation across the rigorous waters of the north Pacific has provided Japan Marine United
(JMU), the shipbuilding successor to IHI, with a solid basis for renewed marketing
endeavours.
In the current newbuild project signed by JMU, the SPB system will be used for two tri-fuel
diesel-electric, 165,000m ships booked by a consortium of Japanese owners on the strength
of long-term contracts with Tokyo Gas.
The refinement of the concept in the intervening period is such that it is claimed that the new
LNGCs will reach the ultra-low BOR of 0.08%/day. The SPB system is said to offer a proven
immunity to sloshing problems and to facilitate hull optimisation. The flush weatherdeck is a
potentially attractive feature for floating terminal and production vessel applications.
Type C pressure vessels have been the preferred means of storing bunkers in ships other
than gas carriers powered by machinery that uses LNG as fuel. But Type B tank technology
has been selected for LNG fuel storage in the new generation of 14,400TEU and 18,800TEU
containerships ordered from Hyundai by United Arab Shipping Company(UASC) and preconfigured for dual-fuel operation. The nominated system is the IHI-SPB self-supporting
prismatic design.
An important milestone was also denoted this year by the selection of GTT membrane
technology for the fuel tanks in the Pegasis (power efficient gas innovative ship) newbuild
ordered by Brittany Ferries from STX France. The ro-pax ferry was originally to be handed
over by the end of 2016, while in addition, GTT was contracted to design the bunker tanks
for three other vessels of Brittany Ferries fleet planned to be converted to LNG-fuelled
propulsion. These plans have, however, been put on hold because the owner has failed to win
a hoped-for temporary relaxation of sulphur emissions regulations in the English Channel and
is going for exhaust gas scrubbers instead of gas fuel.
GTT is capitalising on its long experience in LNG containment by developing solutions along
the whole supply chain dedicated to bunkering with LNG. After receiving recent approvals in
principle (AIPs) for its 2,200m bunker barge design for the US market from major
classification societies, the company has obtained an AIP from Bureau Veritas for a proposed
4,000m LNG bunker vessel employing the MkIII Flex membrane tank design.
An important new strategic move by GTT was denoted by the recent signing of a technical
and licence agreement that made the Spanish company Gabadi its first licensed outfitter. The
way is now clear for Gabadi to propose solutions to non-licensed shipyards for the integration
and construction of GTT membrane containment systems, especially in small LNG carriers
and LNG bunkering projects. The French licensor intends to create a network of such
outfitters to facilitate access by all yards to GTT technology.

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