Mitsubishi Shipbuilding receives approval in principle for LNG fuel gas supply system from Bureau Veritas
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, was granted Approval in Principle (AIP) from the French Classification Society, Bureau Veritas (BV), for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel gas supply system (FGSS) for marine four-stroke dual fuel engines, the company said in its release. The certificate of AIP was presented today at Mitsubishi Shipbuilding’s headquarters in Yokohama.
The FGSS comprises an LNG fuel tank, gas supply unit, control systems and other relevant equipment. The FGSS to which the AIP was granted this time was developed mainly to be installed on coastal ferries and small to mid-sized cargo ships, based on not only experience and knowledge obtained through shipbuilding of LNG carriers for many years but also technologies and know-how accumulated by development of FGSS products for large ships. The small size vacuum-insulated type tanks to be applied for the system have a double shell structure that ensures high heat insulation and also allows the external cylinder of the tank to be at normal temperature, which consequently simplifies the support structure of the tank and reduces the workload for the installation work.
Further, the Tank Connection Space is also designed to save space while giving consideration to realize easy operation and less maintenance.
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding delivered its FGSS in 2019 to be installed on Japan’s first LNG-fueled car carrier, currently being built at Shin Kurushima Toyohashi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., and has one more order for the ship currently under construction. Those large tanks with insulation coatings are designed to be the best fit for the installation in large vessels.
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding will keep expanding its product lineup to meet the increasing demand for LNG fuel and will continue not only providing FGSS as a manufacturer, but also offering superior engineering services for gas handling-related equipment in order to support the design and construction of LNG-fueled ships regardless of the size and vessel type, contribute to the further development of ocean transport, and reduce the environment load.
