Qatar Petroleum, along with several leading international LNG players, has signed a multi-party agreement with LNT Marine, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), and Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding (SWS) to develop new medium and large liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier designs
The agreement paves the way for the establishment of a Joint Industry Project (JIP) that targets the development of new LNG carrier designs utilising the LNT A-BOX LNG cargo containment system. Other signatories to the Agreement include Qatargas and affiliates of ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Shell and Total.
The LNT A-BOX LNG cargo containment system is a new design that has recently been deployed on the 45,000 cu/m new built ABS-classed vessel ‘Saga Dawn,’ which entered commercial service in the second quarter of 2020.
Commenting on the agreement, HE Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, minister of state for energy affairs, president and CEO of Qatar Petroleum, said, “With this signing, Qatar Petroleum reaffirms its commitment to the continuous improvement of the LNG industry by supporting new concepts and encouraging innovation in areas that benefit the industry as a whole, in a safe and economic manner.”
HE Al-Kaabi added, “Competition is critical for technology advancement, and we are pleased to play an active role in this regard with our industry partners.”
LNG cargo containment systems are highly specialised and have experienced few improvements over the past decades. LNT Marine is a technology provider and innovator within the LNG sector, developing gas carriers and cryogenic insulation systems for marine applications. LNT A-BOX introduces a step change in LNG containment systems and demonstrates the potential to improve LNG transportation economics in the coming years.
David Wu, LNT Marine’s founder and chairman, said, “Based on our decade of hard work and today’s cooperation with Qatar Petroleum, Qatargas and the other distinguished international partners, including ABS and SWS, we have confidence in our ability to develop state-of-the-art LNG carrier designs with the LNT A-BOX containment system to accommodate the future shipping requirements of the LNG industry.”
