Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation announced that it has concluded a contract for a 177,000 m3 LNG carrier with Tokyo LNG Tanker Co., Ltd. (wholly owned by Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.) and Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line). Kawasaki Shipbuilding will build the carrier at its Sakaide Shipyard. Delivery is scheduled in 2011.
The ship, featuring Moss spherical tanks with 177,000 m3 capacity, was recently developed by Kawasaki Shipbuilding leveraging the LNG transport expertise of shipowners. Since the ship has inherited the features of Kawasaki’s 147,000 m3 LNG carrier (carrying capacity 145,000 m3), including high propulsive performance and a conventional hull size, it is able to enter the world’s primary LNG terminals although it can carry significantly more LNG with the larger cargo tanks.
For the first time, the ship will be equipped with another new Kawasaki development: an advanced reheat steam turbine plant in the main engine. Dubbed the Kawasaki URA Plant, the turbine plant employs a reheating cycle to return the steam used in the high pressure turbine to the boiler, where it is reheated and sent into the intermediate pressure turbine. As a result, high thermal efficiency is achieved and fuel consumption improves by 15% compared to a conventional steam turbine plant.
