K Line's new design for an LNG carrier
The Japan-based Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha (K Line) and Namura Shipbuilding have signed an AIP (approval in principle) for the concept design of an LNG-fuelled ore carrier from DNV.
According to the classification company, this joint project for the development of an LNG-fuelled ore carrier complies with both environmental and actual operation requirements, e.g. to provide enough staying power for round-trips between Singapore and Brazil in gas fuel mode, arranging the LNG tanks in the centre section of the hull.
In addition to LNG fuel conversion, K Line and Namura Shipbuilding studied the possibility of a combination with a shaft generator, a binary cycle power generation system and lithium batteries in order to further reduce CO2 emissions. They confirmed that this system can achieve a further 4% reduction of fuel oil consumption. (cd)