ABB gets orders of $40 million from LNG vessel carriers

Details

Published on Thursday, 30 May 2013 07:43

ABB has today announced they have secured total orders worth close to US$40 million from three gas transportation industry players in the first quarter of 2013 to supply power and electric propulsion equipment for LNG vessels to be built in South Korea.

ABB noted they will supply an ABB propulsion plant to work in combination with a duel fuel diesel engine plant on board a 155,000 cu m capacity LNG carrier ordered from Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) by a South East Asian ship owner. The membrane-type vessel is expected to be delivered by HHI’s Ulsan yard in 2015. The scope of supply by ABB will include generators, switchboards, transformers, drives and propulsion motors were all the components are manufactured by ABB factories.

In a second agreement, ABB will deliver a similar power and propulsion plant package to a pair of 160,000 cu m capacity LNG carriers that have been ordered by an American Gas major from Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI). These two ships will be built at SHI’s Geoje Island facility for delivery between 2015 and 2016 according to ABB. Together in this agreement is also an order for the same package plus additional switchboards to one 170,000 cu m LNG FSRU for a Norwegian/South East Asian ship owner. The ship will be built at SHI’s Geoje Island facility for delivery in 2015.

Heikki Soljama, Head of ABB Marine and Cranes business unit says: “Repeat orders for LNG carrier power and propulsion systems via HHI and SHI consolidates our strong relationship with two of the leading yards in the field. Our success in winning these contracts demonstrates that we are well on our way to achieving our targets in the fast-growing LNG industry, and is in line with our position as a supplier of choice in this technically demanding segment.” 

Image: ABB 

President of Sempra LNG responds to Sen. Murkowski on the narrowing window for natural gas exports

Details

Published on Wednesday, 22 May 2013 07:57

Octávio Simões, President of Sempra LNG, responds to Sen. Murkowski regarding the narrowing window for U.S. natural gas exports.  This exchange took place on May 21st, 2013 during the U.S. Senate Committee full forum on domestic energy supply and exports.  The forum examined estimates of domestic supply and the potential benefits or unintended consequences caused by expansion of natural gas exports.

Australia Pacific LNG hits milestone as final piece of steel pipe arrives in Australia

Details

Published on Monday, 20 May 2013 19:06

The final shipments of steel pipes for Australia Pacific LNG’s 530km high pressure gas pipeline arrived on schedule and were unloaded last week in Gladstone Port, Queensland.

Manufacturing and transporting the steel pipe to Australia for Australia Pacific LNG’s pipeline has been a major logistical challenge undertaken over the past 18 months. It has involved a total of 42,000 steel pipes, most at 18 meters in length and 42 inches in diameter, and weighing around 270,000 tonnes.  There have been 45 ship movements, around 250,000 crane lifts, 307 train trips, and this has all been coordinated by teams in three countries according to Australia Pacific LNG. 

The pipeline is a key component of the Australia Pacific LNG Project and involves the development of gas fields in the Surat and Bowen basins and a new coal seam gas (CSG) to a liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility on Curtis Island off the coast of Gladstone.

The Project is over one-third complete, has reached a peak workforce of around 10,000 employees and contractors, and to December 2012 more than 80 per cent of total expenditure or $10 billion has been spent in Australia, with $7 billion of that in Queensland.

Origin, as the upstream operator for the Australia Pacific LNG Project, is responsible for construction and operation of the 530km high pressure gas transmission pipeline which will connect the gas fields to the LNG facility.

Origin Pipelines Project Manager Graeme Hogarth said the delivery of the final shipment of pipe represented a significant milestone in the Australia Pacific LNG Project. “The high pressure gas pipeline is a key component of the overall Australia Pacific LNG Project and this final shipment of pipes arriving today as planned ensures we remain on schedule for delivery of first LNG in mid-2015,” Graeme said.

“The manufacturing and transportation of 42,000 sections of pipe from Japan to Malaysia and then to central Queensland has been an extremely complex logistics project that has been completed on time and on budget.

“I would like to recognize the many people and organizations who have worked so well together to achieve this success, including international manufacturers and shipping agencies, port operations, stevedores, Government departments, rail and road transport operators and construction contractors.”

The pipes were manufactured in Japan by Nippon Steel for Metal One, coated in Malaysia by WASCO, transported by vessels under charter from Thoresen and Westlink, and unloaded in Australia by Patrick Stevedoring.

Port operations were managed by Gladstone Ports Corporation, with quarantine and Bio- Security services provided by the Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Pipes were transported from Gladstone via rail by Australian Eastern Railways to laydown areas at Callide, near Biloela and transported to work sites for construction. Use of rail removed around 10,000 heavy truck movements from Gladstone and the surrounding traffic corridor.

Construction of the main pipeline is well advanced, with more than 140km already in the ground and over 80km of pipeline easement reinstated and vegetated. 

BG Group LNG Strategy Update 2013: An interview with Martin Houston

Details

Published on Thursday, 16 May 2013 07:35

Martin Houston, BG Group Executive Director & COO, discusses the BG Group portfolio approach to LNG and why BG Group is well positioned in the market.

 

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Signs Agreement with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines new generation LNG Carrier

Details

Published on Thursday, 16 May 2013 07:16

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) today announced they will sign an agreement with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. to build a "Sayaendo" series new-generation liquefied natural gas carrier.  According to MHI Sayaendo series ships feature a unique structure that integrates the LNG tank cover with the ship hull, resulting in significantly improved fuel consumption and maintainability.  Starting in 2020 the new ship will be used mainly for transportation of LNG produced by the Ichthys LNG Project in Australia for the Osaka Gas Co., Ltd. and Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries stated the new LNG carrier will measure 288.0m in length overall (LOA), 48.94m in width, and 11.55m in draft. The 138,000 gross tonnage (75,000 deadweight tonnage) ship will be capable of carrying up to 153,000 m3 of LNG (cargo tank total volume: 155,000m3) in four Moss-type tanks at a service speed of 19.5 knots per hour. The ship will be built at the MHI Nagasaki Shipyard and Machinery Works.

To protect its four Moss spherical tanks, the Sayaendo features a peapod-shaped continuous cover integrated with the ship's hull instead of conventional hemispherical covers. This configuration enables reduction in size and weight while maintaining the ship's overall structural rigidity according to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The continuous cover over the tanks also improves aerodynamics by substantially reducing air resistance that acts as a drag on ship propulsion.

For the main power plant the Sayaendo will use MHI's "Ultra Steam Turbine Plant" (UST), a new turbine that provides higher thermal efficiency through effective use of thermal energy by reheating steam. Through downsizing, weight reduction and hull line improvement, Sayaendo ships will achieve a substantial 20% reduction in fuel consumption compared to conventional ships.

By covering the tanks with an integrated cover and making those supporting structures unnecessary, the new design also improves maintainability. In addition, CO2 emissions are reduced as a result of decreased fuel consumption, and response to environmental issues is further enhanced with installation of a ballast water treatment system, which addresses impact on the marine ecosystem.

Sayaendo" a new-generation LNG carrier  - Image Source: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.

Burckhardt Compression Order for Laby®-GI Fuel Gas Compressor for Dual-Fuel Two-Stroke Engines on LNG Carriers

Details

Published on Thursday, 16 May 2013 06:34

Burckhardt Compression announced today they have received the first order for the fuel gas compressor system Laby®-GI for two LNG carriers. According to a statement this marks a major milestone for Burckhardt Compression in setting up a compressor business for energy-efficient, environmentally friendly propulsion systems for gas-operated marine diesel engines. The compressor system will inject boil-off gas into the ME-GI dual-fuel two-stroke engine from MAN Diesel & Turbo.

Burckhardt stated the customer has chosen the most fuel-efficient and low-emission propulsion solution available in the market today for their two recently ordered LNG (liquefied natural gas) carriers. It consists of the ME-GI engine from MAN Diesel & Turbo and the fuel gas compressor system Laby®-GI from Burckhardt Compression. The two gas carriers have each a capacity of 170’000 cubic meters.

The fully balanced compressor system will inject boil-off gas into the ME-GI dual-fuel two-stroke engine. The ME-GI system can alternatively be operated with ecological natural gas or heavy fuel oil. Thanks to the reliquefaction option, it is the most flexible propulsion solution in the LNG carrier market and operates with a minimum of emissions. Stricter environmental regulations and increasing fuel oil prices demand such new propulsion solutions.

Marcel Pawlicek, CEO at Burckhardt Compression states: “With this first order we have achieved a major milestone. It reinforces our aim to achieve together with MAN Diesel & Turbo a significant market share for the ME-GI propulsion system for LNG carriers.”

MAN Diesel & Turbo has built up a strong relationship with the Swiss reciprocating compressor manufacturer Burckhardt Compression over the past years to fine-tune the engine and fuel gas compressor system. This has produced a noncomplex compressor system with a sophisticated control system and lowest demands on the crew for operating and maintenance. Based on proven technology, the Laby®-GI Compressor provides fuel gas to the propulsion system with highest efficiency at lowest operating cost. The fully balanced design, resulting in the elimination of unbalanced moments and forces, makes this type of compressor the perfect solution in marine environments. Burckhardt Compression has decades of experience in the field of LNG and LPG (liquefied petroleum gas).

Laby®-GI - Fully Balanced BOG Compression for All Major Dual Fuel Propulsion Systems Onboard LNG Carriers and FLNG Offshore Applications - Image: Burckhardt Compression