Classification society DNV GL has awarded Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line) and Namura Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (Namura Shipyard) a joint Approval in Principle (AIP) for their new LNG-fuelled ore carrier concept design. The new design offers the same deadweight and service speed as the reference WOZMAX® vessel while meeting EEDI phase 3 requirements.
Interest in gas as a marine fuel is on the rise in the shipping industry, in particular due to the incoming sulphur cap and IMO’s Green House Gas (GHG) reduction targets. The technical maturity, efficiency, availability, and emissions reduction of LNG as a ship fuel means that it is becoming an attractive and viable option for many vessels, especially for newbuilding projects.
The new LNG-fuelled ore carrier design from “K” Line and Namura Shipyard, is based on Namura’s second generation WOZMAX® ore carrier – a vessel with the optimum size to transport iron ore from western Australia. The new LNG-fuelled design modifies the cargo hold and locates the tanks in the midships, without changing the hull form or sacrificing significant cargo capacity. Operating on LNG the ship can undertake a round trip between Singapore and Brazil without needing to bunker.
“We were very pleased to work with “K” Line and Namura to approve this design,” says Stian Sollied, Country Manager Japan, DNV GL - Maritime. “It offers another avenue for shipowners to meet incoming environmental regulations, while remaining competitive in terms of cargo capacity. LNG is a solution that could help to shrink the shipping industry’s environmental footprint over the next few years and it is great to see new options in different ship types. We look forward to working with “K” Line and Namura to see this design in operation in the near future.”
DNV GL’s Maritime Forecast to 2050, part of the research behind the DNV GL Energy Transition Outlook 2018, projects that more than 10 per cent of the world’s shipping fleet will be LNG-powered by 2030. The report also anticipates that LNG-powered vessels will make up 23 per cent of the world’s fleet by 2050.
An Approval in Principle is an independent assessment of a concept within an agreed framework, confirming that the design is feasible and no significant obstacles exist to prevent the concept from being realized. The AIP is typically carried out at an early stage of a project to confirm its feasibility towards the project team itself, company management, external investors or future regulators.