Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a Group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) based in Yokohama, held a christening ceremony on February 21 for the next-generation LNG (liquefied natural gas) carrier currently under construction for Mitsui & Co., Ltd., the company said in its release.
The new ship, named MARVEL CRANE, is a state-of-the-art LNG carrier with a design that significantly improves both LNG carrying capacity and fuel performance due to the adoption of a more efficient hull structure and hybrid propulsion system. Completion is scheduled for March 2019, after which the MARVEL CRANE will be put into service, transporting LNG for the Cameron LNG Project in the U.S., in which Mitsui & Co. is participating.
The MARVEL CRANE is the first of two LNG carriers of the same design being constructed for Mitsui & Co., Ltd. It has a length of 293.0m, width of 48.94m, and depth of 27.5m, with a draft of 11.4m. Deadweight tonnage is approximately 79,000 tons, with a total tank holding capacity of 177,000m3.
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding received the order for the new vessel through MI LNG Company, Limited, a joint venture for the design and sale of LNG carriers established by MHI and Imabari Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. Construction was managed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Marine Structure Co., Ltd., an MHI Group company based in Nagasaki. Launching took place on August 3, 2018. Mitsui & Co., Ltd. named its LNG carriers for the Cameron LNG Project "MARVEL" and "CRANE," after the migratory bird.
The vessel is equipped with a modified version of the highly reliable Moss(Note) spherical tank, an apple-shaped tank with a protruding upper half. This tank design effectively expands the ship's LNG carrying capacity without increasing its width, allowing it to pass through the new Panama Canal. The propulsion system is a hybrid 2-shaft STaGE (Steam Turbine and Gas Engines) system combining a steam turbine and a gas-fired engine. The ship is equipped with MHI's proprietary high-efficiency reheat marine steam turbine engine, or UST (MHI Ultra Steam Turbine Plant), a dual-fuel engine power generator that's able to burn both natural gas and diesel, as well as an electric propulsion engine. Effective utilization of waste heat by the UST provides a substantial improvement in plant efficiency, allowing for high-efficiency navigation at both low and high-speeds.