China State Shipbuilding Corporation subsidiary Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding has begun construction of a new LPG/ammonia carrier that will be fitted with a dual-fuel propulsion system.
The ship will be classed by Lloyd's Register and will be handed over to China's Tianjin Southwest Maritime following completion.
The ship will have an LOA of 179.9 metres, a beam of 30 metres, a depth of 18.85 metres, and a total capacity of 41,000 cubic metres. The LPG and liquid ammonia cargo will be carried in tanks where the temperature can be set as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius.
The dual-fuel propulsion system will meanwhile be able to operate on ammonia.
The vessel will also boast a low-resistance linear hull design, a shaft generator, and a specialised hull coating that can help reduce energy consumption over the same sailing distances.
The project partners said the vessel will be the first 41,000cbm ammonia dual-fuel LPG/liquid ammonia carrier to be built in China.
