Numéro : 2725 - Year : 2017
GTT MARSTM – New membrane containment system for LPG carriers
François DURAND, Mélodie NORIS, GTT, (Saint-Remy-Lès-Chevreuse - France)
This paper describes GTT’s new membrane technology which has been designed for the Very Large Gas Carriers. It brings an innovative value proposition to the LPG shipping market making vessels safer, reduces their initial build and operational costs, and increases overall efficiency by allowing greater loads.
GTT’s technology is a light and compact solution, which enables the design of a more efficient vessel with reduced dimensions and lower fuel consumption, or the optimization of the cargo capacity. This extra cargo could be either monetized: +26% of revenue in the current low freight rate environment (based on a $30/t Baltic Index) for a voyage from Arabian Gulf to India, with two discharges in the East and West coast ; or used for the propulsion of the ship for instance. This will afford more flexibility to switch to LPG when needed, and comply with the new environmental regulation on fuel emissions imposed by the IMO. Besides, the flexibility is increased by the reduction of cooling down time to only 3 hours, which prevent from keeping a heel that can also be monetized. Then, GTT MARS does not suffer any thermal shock. Finally, full scale tests demonstrate the high resistance of the membrane in the event of a collision at sea.
In summary, GTT brings four main deliverables to the shipping industry: increased revenue, greater operational flexibility, greener emissions and improved safety.
This paper is written in English
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