Knutsen OAS LNG newbuilds will feature compact Wärtsilä boil-off gas solution

Written by Nick Blenkey
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Knutsen OAS LNGC will feature Wärtsilä reliquefaction plant. [Image copyright Knutsen OAS]

Two new LNG carriers ordered by Norway’s Knutsen OAS shipping at South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard will be the first vessels to be equipped with Wärtsilä’s recently introduced Compact Reliq reliquefaction plant.

The Wärtsilä Compact Reliq [Image copyright Wärtsilä]

The Compact Reliq solution is designed to reliquefy the boil-off gas (BOG) from gas carriers and LNG bunker vessels, and for keeping the cargo cool under all operating conditions. It allows a portion of the BOG to be used as fuel for the ship’s engines, with the excess able to be sold as part of the LNG cargo. It is based on the well-proven reversed nitrogen Brayton cycle refrigeration technology.

“Wärtsilä is a trusted partner with whom we have worked in the past,” said Jarle Østenstad, Newbuilding Director, Knutsen OAS Group. “The first generation nitrogen based reliquefaction plants is highly reliable, efficient, and of good quality, so we had no hesitation in selecting the Compact Reliq for these new LNG carriers.”

“These will be the first installations for the Compact Reliq reliquefaction solution. We are very proud of this latest addition to our portfolio of gas value-chain products and systems, and this order provides a positive indication that the market is ready to embrace it,” commented Kjell Ove Ulstein, Director of Sales and Marketing at Wärtsilä.

The system will be instrumented for remote monitoring and online operational support as part of Wärtsilä’s Operational Performance Improvement and Monitoring (OPERIM) program. The equipment is scheduled to be delivered to the yard commencing in February 2022, and the vessels are expected to begin commercial operations from late 2022.

Wärtsilä has previously supplied Knutsen OAS Shipping with earlier generation reliquefaction plants for six of the company’s vessels.

According to Wärtsilä, the compact design of the Compact Reliq makes it easy to retrofit on existing ships without the need for extensive modifications. It features high reliability and a minimal maintenance requirement. The refrigeration process uses safe and easily obtainable commercial grade nitrogen.

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