Breakthrough order for Moss 'peas in the pod' LNG ships

摘要

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) marked its return to LNG carrier construction with an October 2011 order from an Osaka Gas International Transport (OGIT)/Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) partnership for a distinctive pair of 155,000m~3 vessels. The LNG carriers are scheduled for delivery in 2014 and 2015, respectively, and will be owned by OGIT and MOL on a 90/10 basis. The ships will be the first to be built to MHI's Sayendo 'peas in the pod' concept, a design which features a continuous cover over each vessel's four 'stretched' Moss spherical cargo tanks. The continuous cover, which is integrated with the ship's hull, is in lieu of the conventional hemispherical cover on each cargo tank and the complex pipework, cabling and catwalk arrangements in place between tanks on existing Moss ships. The shipbuilder points out that its Sayendo design represents a new generation of Moss LNG carrier. The configuration, through its various features, will provide improved fuel consumption and maintainability characteristics as well as enhanced structural efficiency.