BV grants AiP for Quadelprop LNG bunkering vessel

19,000 cu.m bunkering vessel is designed for high maneuverability and accurate station keeping

Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore has granted approval in principle to the innovative design for a highly-maneuverable 19,000 cu.m LNG bunkering vessel with a GTT membrane type tank – the Quadelprop.

The name Quadelprop reflects features in the design and propulsion arrangements that enable high maneuverability and station keeping:

• Four azimuth (360°) thrusters fitted at each corner of the hull
• Four dual fuel generator sets installed in the engine room compartment and complemented by an energy storage system provide power to the ship and in particular to the electric thruster motors

The azimuth capability is enhanced and controlled by a redundant dynamic positioning (DP) system.

The design has been developed by Paris-based technical consultancy Marinnov with engineering support from ship designer Marine Assistance.

Presenting the AiP at a ceremony held at the Marintec event in China, Matthieu de Tugny, President of Bureau Veritas, Marine & Offshore said: “This project underlines just how fast and far the industry is going to meet tomorrow’s challenges today and it is a great pleasure to hand over this approval for such an exciting design.:

The high precision of the design’s DP system allows Quadelprop to keep position relative to the client ship so that the LNG transfer system is always within a safe working envelope. Thanks to the DP system, ship-to-ship LNG bunkering operations can also be undertaken at anchorage and in waiting areas. The absence of mooring requirements with the client ship not only simplifies and shortens the overall duration of the bunkering operation but also allows the bunker ship to immediately move away from the client ship in case of an emergency shut down and disconnection of transfer hoses.

Two LNG bunkering manifolds are provided — at amidships and portside — with large diameter connections allowing a max transfer flow rate of 2,000 cu.m/h and a stern bunkering manifold with smaller diameters allowing a transfer flow rate of 250 cu.m/h. The starboard side amidships manifold is dedicated to LNG loading at terminal and is designed for a high loading flow rate

The vessel is particularly well adapted to coastal navigation and port operations with exceptional maneuvering capabilities and a very high level of safety with a full “B/5” wide double hull protecting the cargo tanks area and the engine room as well as a full redundancy of main and auxiliary equipment required by the Bureau Veritas DP2 notation.

Arthur Barret, Marinnov founder and Managing Director says that the Quadelprop concept is the fruit of many years observation and consideration of the challenges of LNG bunkering.

“The early development of the LNG bunkering market has seen several LNG bunker ships entering service which were not specifically designed for the main mission of bunkering,” he says. “I hope the industry is now ready to move to more dedicated and purpose built and more cost effective solutions enabling a lower cost of delivered LNG to benefit end users willing to shift to clean fuels.”