The project, a fully Norwegian collaboration between the owner, Høglund and fellow Norway-based design, piping and welding company Skarweld AS, will see the design and installation of FGSS on four Utkilen LNG-ready sister vessels: M/T Mostraum, M/T Vikstraum, M/T Saltstraum and M/T Sydstraum.

Høglund has been commissioned to supply and deliver an overall energy turnkey solution consisting of the LNG Fuel Gas Supply System (FGSS) with integrated fuel gas control system, an upgrade of the vessel’s integrated automation system and a cloud based digital solution for enhanced data utilization.

Apart from the tank installation, which will be carried out whilst the vessels are at a yard, the retrofit itself will, for the main part, be delivered whilst the ships are in service in order to reduce downtime. By installing new high-quality gas systems without interrupting operations, Høglund is pioneering a new way to complete installations that will have significant benefits for the industry. This type of installation makes future-proofing shipping assets compatible with the ongoing activity of the vessels, overcoming potential commercial barriers to retrofits.

Partner company Skarweld AS will contribute to the project by designing and implementing the piping system for the vessels. The four vessels, the most modern within Utkilen’s fleet, will boast shore power capability as well as shoreside monitoring capacity through Høglund’s systems.

These retrofits complement Utkilen’s sustainability commitment to reduce its impact on the environment and invest in a greener future for its fleet. The new FGSS on board will enhance the four sister vessels’ energy rating and help future-proof them in advance of upcoming regulations on carbon emissions, and to adhere to the ISO 14001 standard.

This project further exemplifies shipowners’ and operators’ increasing recognition of systems integration as a key element to improve the environmental performance of individual vessels and wider fleets.

Commenting on the contract, David Gunaseelan, VP Sales & Marketing at Høglund Marine Solutions, said: “We are very much looking forward to this all-Norwegian project that will allow us to join forces with our local partners at Skarweld and work collaboratively for our longstanding customer Utkilen.

“This project will be particularly interesting due to the fact that, despite being LNG-ready, the four vessels lack gas energy systems, which is something that we are increasingly noticing in the industry. With this in mind, we are looking forward to using our engineering expertise to change this and make the systems onboard the vessels work to maximise their sustainability credentials.”

Leif Larsen, Director Newbuilding and Projects at Utkilen, added: “Having worked with Høglund back in 2017, we are happy to announce that we have commissioned them again to further improve the environmental performance of four of our chemical tankers.”

“Høglund’s invaluable expertise and knowledge presents the latest technological innovation and engineering excellence to provide our fleet with a competitive edge, especially when it comes to optimising our systems’ efficiency and environmental performance.”