Mitsubishi Shipbuilding develops spherical tank for liquefied CO2 carriers

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), has developed a new spherical cargo tank system for liquefied CO2 (LCO2) carriers.

The cargo tank design, which the Japanese shipbuilder developed by applying technologies cultivated through experience in developing spherical tanks for liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, was awarded approval in principle (AiP) by the French classification society Bureau Veritas (BV) at this year’s Posidonia.

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding said that compared with cylindrical, bilobed and trilobed options, spherically shaped tanks offer greater structural strength against internal pressure of the tank. 

“The adoption of Mitsubishi Shipbuilding’s spherical cargo tank system is expected to further optimisation of ship arrangement and enhance the economic performance of LCO2 carriers,” the company said in a release.

BV reviewed the design of the LCO2 spherical cargo tank system and confirmed that the applied methodology to design type C tank complies with the International Gas Carrier (IGC) Code, which applies to marine vessels carrying liquefied gas in bulk, as well as applicable BV’s ship classification rules.

Earlier this year, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding established a new marine decarbonisation business development group in response to increased demand for clean energy carriers for ammonia and other materials, as well as LCO2 carriers.