Gas Tankers
The Pacific Ineos Belstaff
Høglund to supply world’s largest ethane carrier Norway’s Høglund Marine Solutions has delivered a meticulously engineered automation and control system for the Pacific Ineos Belstaff, the world’s largest ethane carrier. During the project, Høglund – the leading global marine solutions and integrated automation systems expert – designed an integrated automation system with ship performance monitor and a customised control system. The technology for this project, completed in just 18 months, was created to support Babcock LGE’s cargo handling system (CHS) and fuel gas supply system (FGSS) for the vessel, which is owned by China’s Pacific Gas. Høglund’s priority was to develop a good interface and integration logic, to handle the complex gas handling operations designed by Babcock LGE in a safe and reliable manner. “Most of the groundwork was laid in early 2021 with an early design of an overarching integrated automation and power management system,” said Duy Chau Do, Høglund Senior Project Manager. “The owner, Pacific Gas, was proactively involved in the project, and we had vibrant communication over several months discussing all the details. When it came to cargo handling, we relied on Babcock LGE and their tremendous engineering capabilities. We had our most senior engineers work throughout the summer on translating the gas safety and alarm matrix from Babcock LGE into Høglund software logic and to ensure that all signals
were treated correctly.” Duy Chau Do added that effectively integrating automation and gas handling systems on gas newbuilds is a major challenge. “Without properly considering automation and integration, the vessel is at risk of becoming too difficult to operate and maintain. A smooth and solid collaboration between the Jiangnan shipyard, shipowner Pacific Gas, Babcock LGE and Høglund was vital to achieving success for a project of this scope and complexity.” Babcock LGE played a leading role in the project, overseeing the complete design, supply and advisory supervision/commissioning of the CHS and FGSS. “We are proud to have worked alongside Høglund Marine Solutions on this ‘first-of-akind’ ethane carrier,” said Neale Campbell, Managing Director – Babcock LGE. “Collaboration and teamwork have played a crucial role in delivering this project in challenging conditions and we are delighted that the vessel is now in-service and operating well. Our ecoETHN solution, which combines the CHS and FGSS to offer the most efficient ethane cargo solution on the market, has been well received by the shipowner and works seamlessly with Høglund’s automation and control system.”
equipment for a single LNG tanker and is designed to maximise the ship’s uptime while providing long-term cost predictability, and optimised maintenance costs. One of the features of the agreement is Wärtsilä’s unique Expert Insight digital predictive maintenance solution. By leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced diagnostics, the service enables on-board equipment and systems to be monitored in real-time onshore. Should anomalous behaviour be detected, it is flagged to specialists at Wärtsilä Expertise Centres automatically, allowing them to support the customer proactively with an appropriate resolution to the issue. Wärtsilä will also provide its Dynamic Maintenance Planning solution. This innovation takes advantage of Wärtsilä’s extensive experience and capabilities in digitalisation and analytics to optimise major overhaul intervals, without compromising reliability or engine efficiency while also guaranteeing maintenance costs. The agreement covers the vessel’s three Wärtsilä 50DF dual-fuel engines, as well as the Gas Valve Units (GVU) and turbochargers. Two of NYK’s sister LNG tankers are supported by similar Wärtsilä agreements. Wärtsilä has also successfully completed delivery of its LPG Fuel Supply System (LFSS) to 15 gas tankers owned and operated by BW LPG. BW LPG ordered the first four of these 15 systems in 2018, immediately following Wärtsilä’s full-scale testing of a full-sized 2-stroke marine engine operating with LPG fuel. This was the world’s first such testing protocol, and the performance attained was seen as exceeding expectations. Orders for a further 11 systems were placed in 2020. The Wärtsilä LFSS is a key enabler for the use of LPG as an environmentally sustainable marine fuel. It meets IMO emission limits without the need for exhaust scrubber systems.
Latest orders for Wärtsilä Finland’s Wärtsilä has signed a longterm Guaranteed Asset Performance Agreement (GAPA) with Japan’s NYK LNG Ship Management. The agreement is valid for 15 years. It covers the engines and related
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NYK LNG Ship Management will benefit from premium services provided by the Wärtsilä Expertise Centres
