Foam tanks restrict evaporation in LNG-fueled container ship

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI)  has got the thumbs up from shipping classification society Det Norske Veritas (DNV; Singapore) for a large container ship fueled not by heavy oil, but environmentally friendlier liquid natural gas (LNG), with plastics playing a key role in containment of the fuel.

Beginning in 2016, new engines on vessels operating in designated emission control areas (ECAs) off the coast of North America must use emission controls that achieve an 80% reduction in NOx emissions. They must also use fuel with less than 1,000 ppm sulfur content as of 2015. One way of achieving this is using LNG as a fuel. The vessel developed by KHI can carry 9,000 20-foot container equivalents and besides reducing NOx emissions by approximately 80%, SOx emissions are reduced by almost 100% and CO2 emission by 30%. It has received an Approval in Principle rating form DNV.

A key component of the vessel is the multiple (International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Type-B prismatic tank system employed to prevent LNG evaporation. It employs thermal insulation panels comprising phenolic resin foam (PRF), rigid polyurethane foam (PUF), and aluminum/plastic sheet layers. Outside of the ECAs, the vessel can utilize conventional fuel oil as a back-up for propulsion if required but it is capable of traversing the Pacific Ocean on a single load of LNG fuel.-[email protected]