On March 23rd, Guangzhou Shipyard International Company successfully completed the B-type LNG refueling operation for the first 16000 TEU dual-fuel container ship built for Mediterranean Shipping Group. The B-type LNG fuel-tank has a capacity of 13000 cubic meters and is currently the largest single B-type LNG fuel tank for ships in China.
To ensure the safety and efficiency of refueling operations, the Economic Operations Department of China State Shipbuilding Corporation held a safety review meeting for LNG refueling in the B-type tank of the first 16000 TEU dual-fuel container project at Guangzhou Shipyard International Company on February 14th. The meeting invited experts from in group, CSSC, Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Corporation, Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, and Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Corporation to participate. The review experts comprehensively evaluated the B-type cabin refueling plan and related safety risk response measures through on-site inspections, listening to project progress reports, and reviewing refueling manuals. The expert group unanimously believes that the preparation work is comprehensive and meticulous, and the refueling plan meets safety management requirements and has passed the review smoothly.
To ensure the smooth progress of the refueling operation, the refueling team implemented corrective measures item by item based on the review opinions, optimized the process technology, and organized several rounds of training and drills. During the refueling process, the refueling team coordinated various construction personnel, and worked continuously according to the refueling procedure, ultimately completing the refueling operation 24 hours ahead of the original plan.
During the refueling period, the ship simultaneously completed the commissioning work of the BOG compressor and the boiler and generator in gas mode. The completion of these debugging tasks not only effectively saved gas consumption improving refueling efficiency, but also significantly shortened the debugging cycle of gas equipment, laying a solid foundation for the trial voyage of the first 16000 TEU large dual-fuel container ship.
As the first large LNG dual-fuel container ship in South China, the successful refueling marks an important breakthrough for Guangzhou Shipyard International Company in the B-type fuel tank refueling technology for large dual-fuel container ships, and accumulated valuable experience for the construction of subsequent large dual-fuel container ships.
Scene during installation of B-type fuel tank
At present, the main LNG compartments in the market are divided into membrane compartments and independent compartments, among which independent compartments are further divided into Type A, Type B, and Type C. There are two main forms of B-type tanks in the shipping market: one is a spherical fuel tank, abbreviated as "MOSS tank". Another type is the prismatic fuel tank, abbreviated as the "SPB tank". The SPB tank combines the advantages of membrane tank and MOSS tank, with its prism structure ensuring high volume utilization and low-air draught. At the same time, it is equipped with transverse baffles and mid-longitudinal bulkheads inside, which can effectively reduce liquid sloshing even under partial loading conditions. The 16000 TEU large dual-fuel container ship constructed by Guangzhou Shipyard International Company uses the B-type SPB tank .