VLCCs with world’s 1st high-manganese steel LNG fuel tanks named

South Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) has held a naming ceremony for two dual-fuel very large crude oil carriers (VLCCs) equipped with liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel tanks made of high manganese steel.

As informed, a simultaneous naming ceremony for the VLCC duo took place on 13 October at DSME’s shipyard. The vessels Advantage Verdict and Advantage Victory are built for Swiss shipping company Advantage Tankers.

The South Korean company is building four LNG-fuelled VLCCs for Advantage Tankers.

The high-manganese steel LNG fuel tanks, dubbed as the world’s first, come as a result of a 10-year research and cooperation with compatriot steel-making company POSCO.

In June this year, the partners achieved a milestone by installing the IMO Type-C LNG fuel tanks using high-manganese steel.

Recently, as eco-friendly policies such as carbon dioxide reduction are being strengthened around the world, ships are also switching to LNG as fuel. In such an environment, all ships ordered from DSME this year are eco-friendly ships that use LNG as fuel.

In addition, high-manganese steel LNG fuel tank manufacturing technology would be valuable for the Korean shipbuilder as it is a purely domestic technology, DSME explained.

In the future, if price competitiveness is secured through the mass production of high manganese steel. What is more, technological independence will be possible in the production of LNG cargo holds and the technology is evaluated as a great stepping stone for strengthening the competitiveness of the Korean shipbuilding industry.