GTT announces that it has received, in the third quarter of 2024, an order from its partner Jiangnan Shipyard (Group) Co., Ltd., for the tank design of six Ultra Large Ethane Carriers (ULEC), on behalf of ship-owner Eastern Pacific Shipping.
GTT will design the tanks of these unique ULEC, which will each offer a capacity of 150,000 m³, the largest ever to be built for ethane transport. The tanks will be fitted with the Mark III membrane containment system developed by GTT. The delivery of the vessels is scheduled between the first and third quarters of 2027, according to GTT's release.
This order marks a world first in the construction of ethane carriers of this scale, surpassing the traditional capacity of 99,000 m³ typically seen on Very Large Ethane Carriers (VLEC). Since 2018, GTT has pioneered the development of Ultra Large Ethane Carriers. The first approval in principle for a 150,000-m³ ULEC, designed in collaboration with Jiangnan Shipyard, was obtained in 2019.
The containment system has been designed to carry a wide range of liquefied gases from the petrochemical industry, in addition to LNG, allowing broad operational flexibility over the vessel's lifetime.