Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has started construction of the first of a new generation of eco-friendly 'Sayaendo' series liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.
The Sayaendo series LNG carriers have been developed at the company's Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works.
Scheduled to be delivered in 2014, the new vessel is the first of the two LNG carriers ordered by Osaka Gas International Transport (OGIT) and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) in October 2011.
Both of the 75,000dwt LNG carriers will have a length of 288m, a width of 48.94m and a draft of 11.55m, and will be capable of carrying up to 153,000m³ of LNG using four Moss-type hemispherical tanks.
In the Moss-type LNG carriers, the upper half of the tank will be covered by a hemispherical dome, while the lower half under the deck is supported by a cylindrical skirt structure, which is intended to reduce fuel consumption and improve maintenance.
The integrated hemispherical cover will help in reducing size and weight in addition to providing maintenance for the overall hull rigidity of the vessel.
According to MHI, the cover over the tanks will enhance aerodynamics by reducing wind pressure, which usually acts as a drag on ship propulsion.
Compared to equivalent conventional ships, the Sayaendo series vessels will consume 25% less fuel due to the reduction in size along with weight reduction and hull line improvement.
The second Sayaendo vessel is scheduled to be delivered in 2015; both LNG carriers are set to be used for the transportation of LNG procured by Osaka Gas.
Osaka Gas will be responsible for the operational handling of the LNG carriers while MOL will act as the ship management company.
MHI has secured five orders for Sayaendo series carriers so far, including another order from MOL in June 2012 for an LNG carrier that will delivered in 2017.
Image: MHI's first Sayaendo LNG carrier, ordered by Osaka Gas and MOL, is scheduled to be delivered in 2014. Photo: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
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