LNG Carriers

Linde Group to Supply Reliquefaction Equipment

10.05.2007 | Editor: Dr. Jörg Kempf

Dr. Aldo Belloni: “LNG has become a major ingredient of the energy economy and its growth potential is undisputed.”

Wiesbaden, Munich/Germany – Cryostar, a subsidiary of The Linde Group and a leading supplier of equipment for liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, has won an order from Samsung Heavy Industries totalling over $50 million. As part of this order, Cryostar will supply on-board boil-off gas reliquefaction plants for five LNG tankers to be built by 2008.

The modern membrane carriers with a cargo capacity of 265,000 cubic meters will be the largest ever built and are destined for LNG trade between Qatar and the USA. “With this contract, The Linde Group has further extended its product offering along the thriving LNG value chain,” said Dr. Aldo Belloni, member of the executive board of Linde. “We are now active in this field as suppliers of base-load liquefaction technology, of on-board equipment to LNG shipyards, and of specialised re-evaporation systems at the receiving terminal.

Being a gas company, we also distribute LNG in selected merchant market regions.” The larger the vessel, the more important the boil-off gas management for the LNG. It is stored on board at -163° C, in order to ensure that the maximum cargo is delivered. Cryostar, who provide both the reliquefaction process design and the majority of cryogenic equipment, developed the plant‘s unique low power consumption technology. The on-board reliquefaction of boil-off gas on LNG tankers with slow speed diesel propulsion makes these carriers highly economic for long distance travel.