VESSEL REVIEW | Antwerpen – Exmar welcomes dual-fuel LPG/ammonia carrier to ocean-going fleet

Belgian shipping company Exmar has taken delivery of a new LPG tanker built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) of South Korea.

Antwerpen is one of two LPG tankers to be built by HHI for the same owner. She and her sister ship Arlon have been classed as mid-size gas carriers.

These vessels are the first two in a series of four LPG tankers ordered by Exmar in 2023 and 2024 for operation by its subsidiary Exmar LPG France. Exmar said they are the world's first ocean-going vessels capable of transporting ammonia as well as using it for propulsion.

Increased capacity allowing for fewer voyages

Antwerpen has a length of 190 metres (620 feet), a beam of 30.4 metres (99.7 feet), a draught of 10.6 metres (34.8 feet), a height of 18.8 metres (61.7 feet), and a total cargo capacity of 46,000 cubic metres (10 million gallons).

Exmar remarked that, through a deliberate extension of the vessel’s length by 10 metres (30 metres) and a slight increase in beam, a higher cargo intake became possible compared to what the company said was a standard design.

The ship features three cargo tanks designed by Exmar to be capable of transporting liquefied ammonia or LPG as well as two 500-cubic-metre (100,000-gallon) deck tanks.

Capable of operating on ammonia fuel for reduced emissions

Power for the ship is provided by a WinGD X52DF-A two-stroke, dual-fuel engine, which can also run on diesel and can receive ammonia fuel directly from the cargo tanks for greater flexibility. Exmar said the use of the ammonia dual-fuel technology can enable CO₂ emissions reductions of as much as 90 per cent during navigation.

The ship also features a shaft generator to produce electricity as well as a selective catalytic reduction system.

The safety equipment meanwhile consists of an ammonia gas detector for real-time leak monitoring and a dedicated recovery unit for purging fuel.

Antwerpen is classed by Lloyd’s Register. The vessel has completed separate sea trials on diesel and ammonia operating modes off the coast of South Korea. For the latter mode, renewable ammonia fuel produced in China was loaded into her bunkers at the Port of Ulsan.