ABS Approves Hyundai's FLNG Hull Design
Classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) said October 21 it has granted approval in principle (AIP) to Hyundai Heavy Industries’ deepwater floating LNG (FLNG) hull design.
The design features a barge-shaped hull, a GTT Mark III containment system with storage for about 192,000 m3, and provisions to accommodate an internal turret and 45,000-metric tons of topside modules to deliver 2.5mn mt/yr of LNG, ABS said.
“In the current emerging gas market, a ready-to-convert offshore FLNG hull, with ABS certification, at affordable capex is an important product for monetisation of gas reserves around the globe. This new line-up from HHI responds to the requirements of operators and combines HHI’s unparalleled expertise in shipbuilding with ABS’ stringent safety evaluation,” Hyundai Heavy’s executive vice president of shipbuilding division Hyungkwan Kim said.
The hull is based on LNG carrier designs combined with the requirements for FLNG production, such as structural reinforcements to take topside module load and a hull designed to allow up to 25 years operation without dry-docking, ABS said, adding newbuilding conversion FLNG hull design for offshore application can be constructed at less than half the cost of a conventional FLNG hull.