TMC’s compressors picked for Matson’s dual-fuel containership retrofit

Singapore-based C-LNG Solutions has contracted Norway-headquartered TMC Compressors (TMC) to deliver boil-off gas compressors to a US-built containership that is currently being converted to dual-fuel propulsion.

C-LNG Solutions is providing its LNG fuel gas supply system (FGSS) to the containership, which is owned by Matson Navigation and converted at a Chinese yard.

Under its contract, C-LNG will supply three 1350-cbm type C LNG fuel tanks with in-tank pumps and tank gauging system, a low-pressure vaporizer and buffer tank, a glycol-water system, and N2 system.

TMC will provide the boil-off gas compressors to C-LNG’s fuel gas supply system. These boil-off gas compressors can be used on both dual-fuel vessels, for example, LNG in combination with bunker oil, and single-fuel LNG vessels, according to the company.

“By compressing the boil-off gas to the required pressure in order to supply it as fuel directly into the ship’s engine, you have an optimal system with regards to energy efficiency,” said Hans Petter Tanum, TMC’s director of sales and business development.

“Utilising boil-off gas as a valuable resource is a clever way of reducing the vessel’s fuel costs quite significantly, with the added benefit of lowering harmful emissions to air too.”

Onboard a vessel that uses LNG as fuel, heat from the surroundings increases the temperature inside the cooled-down LNG fuel tanks, causing the liquid to evaporate. The gas generated from this is known as boil-off gas.

Specifically, the system captures the boil-off gas from the LNG fuel tanks onboard, compresses it with a TMC compressor and injects it into the main engine as fuel.

TMC will manufacture the boil-off gas compressors in the Nordic region and ship them to the Chinese yard where the conversion work is conducted.

Last month, the company won a deal to provide compressors for MOL’s six LNG carriers. Under the agreement, TMC will supply multiple control and service air compressors and air driers to each of the six LNG carriers. In addition, the company will provide feed air compressors to the nitrogen system on board the 174,000 cbm vessels. The contract was signed with Chinese company Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding which is building the ships for the Japanese shipowner.