Size is important

摘要

Design Christian Anderson of Bergesen gave a paper at Gastech discussing the new type of larger LNG carrier on offer and how this new generation of ships can, and will, affect LNG trading patterns. "The ultimate LNG carrier will be a suexmax at about 348,000 m~3," said Christian Anderson, assistant director and head of chartering of Bergesen ASA, at the Gastech 2005 conference. This comment was to be the basis of a discussion on the new types of larger-sized, alternative propulsion LNG carriers about to hit the marketplace. Christian pointed out that LNG vessels made slower progress in terms of size compared to LNG trains, which have seen a steady increase over 35 years; the Qatargas II trains represent an increase in capacity of nearly 800 per cent over the earliest installations. LNG carriers did see a significant increase in size with the introduction of the Moss-type design in the early and mid-1970s, but over a 30-year period this represents a very small increase. The new vessels to be built for the Qatargas II project will change this, with carrier sizes increasing by nearly 275 per cent, but this is still well below the pace of change in liquefaction units, an important consideration given the chase for cheaper gas supply.