Wärtsilä to Equip Four LNG Carriers with LNG Reliquefaction and Gas Handling Systems

The reliquefaction plant will reliquefy 70% of the boil-off gas from the ships’ LNG cargo and return it to the cargo tanks, while the balance is fed by the gas handling system to the engines for propulsion. Photo (c) Wärtsilä

Finnish engine manufacturer and all-around power solutions provider Wärtsilä announced Wednesday that it will equip four LNG carriers being built in China with LNG reliquefaction plants and gas handling systems, marking a “significant breakthrough” into the Chinese market, the company says.

The series of four LNG carriers are being built by the Hudong-Zhongua Shipbuilding yard in China and are owned by Bermuda based Teekay Corporation, China LNG Shipping (CLNG), CNOOC Energy Technology Co of China, and BW Gas of Norway. The contracts with Wärtsilä were issued by Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding and were signed during the fourth quarter.

Wärtsilä says the LNG reliquefaction plants and gas handling systems will provide the owners with both econimic and technical benefits. The reliquefaction plant will reliquefy 70% of the boil-off gas from the ships’ LNG cargo and return it to the cargo tanks, while the balance is fed by the gas handling system to the engines for propulsion purposes, according to Wärtsilä. The system is pre-fabricated in skid modules for easy onboard installation and hook-up and can be stopped when the cargo pumps are in operation, thereby reducing the need for extra generator capacity. No extra personnel are required for operation and maintenance, Wärtsilä says.

Wärtsilä is the market leader in cargo handling technology for LNG carriers and the company has an extensive reference base with 35 systems already in operation, and a total of eight new systems to be delivered to customers in China, South Korea and Japan. Wärtsilä is also the only company able to offer solutions throughout the entire gas handling chain and to cater for all types of gas carriers.

For both the LNG reliquefaction plant and gas handling system, Wärtsilä will provide engineering support, system responsibility and associated process guarantees.

“Wärtsilä was selected because we were able to offer the best technical solution with the lowest capital and operational expenditures. Our in-house know-how and experience is unmatched in the industry, which is why the leading gas carrying operators consistently opt for Wärtsilä’s state-of-the-art solutions,” says Mr Timo Koponen, Vice President, Flow and Gas Solutions, Wärtsilä Ship Power.

The first of the 174,000 m3 LNG carriers is scheduled for delivery in September 2017, with two to follow in 2018 and the last ship in January 2019.

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