GTT tank ordered for Hapag-Lloyd’s ULCV LNG retrofit

French LNG containment specialist GTT has been notified by the Chinese shipyard Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding on the order for the design of the LNG fuel tank as part of the full retrofit of Sajir.

Sajir is an ultra large container vessel with a capacity of 15,000 TEU, being converted on behalf of the ship-owner Hapag-Lloyd.

The retrofit project of the vessel has been carried out with the Hamburg based ship designer Technolog, the maritime solution provider MAN Energy Solution and its subsidiary MAN Cryo, GTT said in its statement.

The design of the project is based on the use of an exoskeleton-type structure which obtained a general approval for ship application (GASA) by DNV-GL in 2017.

The structure, pre-equipped with GTT’s Mark III cryogenic containment system, will be installed and integrated into a cargo bay of the current vessel.

By using the ship’s structure as a support, this exoskeleton solution reduces the weight of the tank and shortens the retrofit time of the ship.

This 6,500-cbm LNG tank will offer more efficient space utilization for fuel storage. The completion of the ship’s retrofit is planned during the first semester of 2020.