DNV GL presents GTT and TECHNOLOG with GASA statement for exoskeleton LNG tanks
At the Marintec China trade fair today, classification society DNV GL presented GTT, together with its partner TECHNOLOG, a General Approval for Ship Application (GASA) statement for the retrofit of very large container vessels (VLCVs) with exoskeleton membrane LNG tanks, GTT said in its press release.
LNG membrane tanks will generally offer more efficient space utilisation for cargo storage and as fuel tanks. The exoskeleton concept offered by GTT, and developed in partnership with TECHNOLOG, consists of a structure that can be prebuilt on the dock and then installed as a complete unit in the hull of the vessel. This greatly reduces the construction time of the ship at the yard and eliminates the necessity to go into dry dock.
The solution has been developed for VLCVs with a capacity of 14,000 to 18,000 TEU and offers a new possibility for owners to more easily refit existing vessels with an LNG fuel system. Switching to using LNG as a ship fuel will mean a vessel will comply with incoming restrictions on the use of high sulphurs fuels.
A General Approval for Ship Application (GASA) is a full approval of the technology under consideration, according to the DNV GL Rules for Classification, which examines a typical installation of the technology in a vessel.
