Japan’s Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) has a new adjustable LNG tank that can store up to five times more liquefied natural gas than current models.
The tank can carry anywhere from 2,000 cu m to 10,000 cu m of LNG. It is likely to be marketed towards containerships and car carriers. KHI will spend the next year commercialising the product with sales likely to start in late 2017. Japanese lines have been at the forefront of investigating the use of LNG as a ship fuel.
Most LNG tanks developed so far have been of up to 2,000 cu m with ship designers struggling to work out how to ensure the fuel tanks do not take up too much room on future ships.
