7,500 cbm LPG fueled ships have been ordered and final design work can now be completed based on the Bureau Veritas award of Approval in Principle (AiP)
Bureau Veritas (BV), a world leader in testing, inspection, and certification (TIC), has issued Approval in Principle certification to Sasaki Shipbuilding for a new LPG fuelled LPG carrier design with an order for the 7,500 cbm LPG carrier design now placed at the yard.
The order is one of the first ever to be confirmed for small scale LPG fuelled ships and they will be the first to be built in Japan. The ships will be powered by MAN B&W ME-LGIP engines designed for LPG as fuel.
The ships will be constructed under BV’s guidelines NI647 for LPG fuelled ships. The AiP included a hazard and operability study (HAZOP) to help ensure that operational risks would be addressed in the final design process.
These ships are innovative in that the use of LPG as fuel remains a fairly novel application. But our experience from LNG fuelled shipping, the application of the IGC Code, and our own class rules and guidance, provide the necessary level of confidence for these new smaller LPG carriers.
‘Sensibly, LPG as a marine fuel is now finding a niche for use in LPG carriers. There are considerable operational benefits in terms of reduced GHG emissions and very much cleaner local air emissions. LPG is widely available and sulfur free and will reduce CO2 emissions by up to 13%, when compared to MDO and up to 18% when compared to HFO*.’
KAZUO YAMASHITA (Chief Executive - Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, Japan)
