On June 6, 2024 at Posidonia, five new designs of very large gas carriers developed by Deltamarin and China Merchants Heavy Industry have received Approval in Principle  from the classification society Lloyd’s Register.

The AiP handover for the gas carrier designs was witnessed by Mr. Andy McKeran, the Chief Commercial Officer of Lloyd’s Register, Mr. Wang Yangzhi, the General Manager Assistance of China Merchants Industry Group and Mr. Huang Jin, the Marketing Director of China Merchants Industry Group

The AiP certificate is issued for next-generation concept designs of 99,000cbm ethane fuelled very large ethane carrier (VLEC), 88,000cbm and 93,000cbm LPG fuelled very large LPG carriers (VLGC), and 88,000cbm and 93,000cbm ammonia fuelled very large ammonia carriers (VLAC)

Over multiple studies, a set of innovative main dimensions has been defined for these five new designs. The slightly smaller vessels can easily access the old Panama lock, while the larger ones are given the possibility to enjoy the priority privilege during Panama transit. The VLEC will use ethane as fuel and be equipped with CMHI’s self-developed independent type B tanks.

The optimized fuel storage and propulsion configuration provide clients with higher energy efficiency and greater economic flexibility. The VLGCs and VLACs will be fitted with independent type A tanks and will use LPG and ammonia as fuel, respectively. The state-of-the-art fuel systems in all designs will enhance the operational efficiency and safety while, also contributing to a cleaner shipping industry.