French engineering and technology company GTT has been selected by 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 new LNG-fuelled container ships.
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. The nine Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCV) being built for CMA CGM are designed to carry 22,000 containers each, becoming the largest containerships in the world. The largest containership at present is the OOCL Hong Kong, owned by Chinese shipping firm Orient Overseas Container Line, which has capacity for 21,413 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). GTT will design the LNG fuel tanks, which represent a capacity of 18,600 m3 per ship. The company’s membrane insulation system Mark III 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.”
Source: GTT
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