Deltamarin, part of AVIC Group, in collaboration with France’s GTT, performed a study on the use of membrane-type tanks on cargo and passenger vessels.
The two companies have looked into the use of membrane-type containment systems for cargo and passenger vessels that would save cargo space compared to classic cylindrical-type LNG tank solutions and to enable the use of LNG for long ocean voyages.
The portfolio includes a container vessel, a pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) and a cruise ship. During the development project, each of the vessels was equipped with a modularised GTT membrane tank type solution, which can be adjusted in size from 1,000 to 5,000 cubic meters, depending on the case vessel. Either one or multiple tanks can be integrated into the vessel.
The final fuel capacity is a trade-off between desired cargo capacity and bunkering intervals, Deltamarin said.
As an example, a container ship case vessel with a 2,500 cubic meter tank offers an autonomy time of 22 days or can reach 10,000 nautical miles, the company claims.
These figures ensure that most intra-Asian, intra-European or intra-American trade loops can be sailed in just one bunkering operation.
On average, calculations during the development project showed that only approximately 60 percent of the LNG capacity provided by membrane technology could be accommodated in the same space, when using an optimised bi-lobe C-type tank solution.