GTT has been chosen by the shipyard Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co. Ltd., member of China State Shipbuilding Corporation conglomerate, and by shipowner CMA CGM for the design of cryogenic tanks for nine LNG-fuelled container ships, the company said in its press release. Of these nine units, the membrane tanks will be built by Hudong-Zhonghua, who will also be in charge of building five vessels, Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. building the other four. The deliveries of the nine vessels will take place between the end of 2019 and the end of 2020.
This contract is the result of over four years of development made by GTT in this market segment. These Sea Giants will be able to carry 22,000 containers each, instead of 21,000 containers for the biggest container ships currently in operation. GTT will design the LNG fuel tanks, which represent a capacity of 18,600 m3 per ship. The membrane insulation system Mark III developed by GTT has been chosen for its space optimization allowing a maximum usage of cargo capacity.
Philippe Berterottière, Chairman and CEO of GTT, declared: “This order is a game-changer. It marks the adoption of clean fuels by the container ships’ industry. GTT is proud to work side by side with CMA CGM and Hudong-Zhonghua within this revolution.”