STX Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Develops 7,500㎥ Class LNG Bunkering Vessel

[Asia Economy Reporter So-yeon Park] STX Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering announced on the 5th that it has completed the development of a 7,500㎥ capacity LNG bunkering vessel in collaboration with the Medium-sized Ship Design Project Group under the Ship & Offshore Plant Research Institute.

An LNG bunkering vessel is a ship that requires technology to store LNG at an ultra-low temperature of minus 163℃ in tanks and technology to vaporize LNG to a suitable temperature and pressure to supply fuel for operating propulsion engines.

With this development, STX Shipbuilding has further increased the bunkering capacity for LNG-fueled propulsion vessels and, in particular, installed azimuth thrusters on the port and starboard sides of the vessel to control the ship's rolling and movement that may occur during LNG fuel supply at sea, thereby improving maneuverability and securing operational safety.

STX Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering already has experience delivering a world-class 6,500㎥ LNG bunkering vessel built at the Jinhae Shipyard in 2017 to the global energy company Shell.

Ko Tae-hyun, Head of Technology Division at STX Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, said, "Although STX Shipbuilding has recently undergone restructuring due to recession and management difficulties, we are overcoming these challenges through the development of advanced high value-added ship technologies."