Samsung Heavy Industries has successfully delivered a 7,500㎥ liquefied natural gas  carrier equipped with a Korean-style LNG cargo hold.

The company announced on Oct. 27 that it has, in collaboration with Korea Line LNG, installed the Korean-style cargo hold KC-2C on a commercial LNG carrier for the first time. The LNG carrier was delivered this month and successfully completed its first voyage, transporting LNG from Tongyeong to the Aewol LNG terminal in Jeju.

Samsung Heavy Industries and Korea Line LNG signed a contract last August to modify the existing cargo hold of an LNG carrier to KC-2C. Since then, construction has been ongoing at the Geoje shipyard, and the LNG carrier was recently delivered after completing gas trial operations.

KC-2C is a Korean-style cargo hold developed by Samsung Heavy Industries to achieve technological independence from the LNG cargo holds that have been dependent on overseas sources. Compared to existing cargo holds, it has improved the design and construction method of the secondary barrier, ensuring airtightness and stability, while also featuring excellent insulation performance.

For the development of KC-2C, Samsung Heavy Industries completed a mock-up test in 2020 and has been focusing on internalizing core cargo hold technologies at the LNG demonstration facility established in 2021. In October 2023, the company also installed KC-2C on the multi-purpose LNG bunkering barge “Green Nuri,” which it invested in and operates, conducting demonstrations including LNG offshore bunkering, cooling tests, and gas trial operations at the Geoje shipyard. The Green Nuri has proven the stability of KC-2C by performing a total of 123 LNG bunkering operations over the past two years.

In particular, the installation of membrane sheets inside the cargo hold, where LNG at minus 163 degrees Celsius directly contacts, is considered a high-difficulty task in LNG cargo hold construction. Samsung Heavy Industries significantly improved production efficiency by deploying its independently developed “laser high-speed welding robot” for the membrane welding work of KC-2C.

A company official emphasized, “We have finally localized the core technology that has been dependent on overseas sources, making significant progress in the field of LNG carriers where Korea holds the world’s number one market share.” He added, “We will strive to have the KC-2C cargo hold evaluated in the market through the modification and new construction of 174,000㎥ LNG carriers in the future.”

Source:Business Korea