**VESSEL TYPES - OIL/GAS/LPG/LNG/CHEMICAL TANKERS**

Liquid/Hydrate Gas Tankers

Liquefied gas tankers are oceangoing ships designed to carry one or more types of liquefied gas cargo—gas which has
been cooled, pressurized, or both, below its boiling point so it can be shipped as a liquid. Such liquefied gas cargoes
include butane and propane (both referred to as liquefied petroleum gases, or LPG), liquefied natural gas (LNG),
butadiene, propylene, ethylene, vinyl chloride, methyl chloride, ammonia and propylene oxide. Liquefied gas tankers
consist of several large and separate onboard tanks which may be pressurized, refrigerated, and insulated to
accommodate different cargo needs. International shipping codes impose extensive standards for the construction
and operation of these vessels. Their cargo tanks must be built to withstand high pressures or low temperatures, as
necessary. Therefore, these tanks are robust and resistant to impact damage, or flexible and able to distort without
failure. The vessels are also “double-hulled,” with cargo tanks located above a double bottom and inboard of the outer
hull, independent of the tankers’ outer hull structures. Consequently, liquefied gas tankers possess a level of
structural integrity greater than that found in most other classes of ship, which makes them highly resistant to
grounding and collision damage. LNG tankers carry only LNG. Other liquefied gas tankers may simultaneously carry a
combination of different cargoes, such as butane and propylene, in different storage tanks. Such combination cargoes
create potentially unique multi-chemical hazards.

Pressurised LPG carriers

Regional and coastal cargoes are often carried in such craft with the cargo fully pressurised at ambient temperature.
Accordingly, the tanks are built as pure pressure vessels without the need for any extra metallurgical consideration
appropriate to colder temperatures. Design pressures are usually for propane (about 20 bar) as this form of LPG
gives the highest vapour pressure at ambient temperature. The ship design comprises outer hull and an inner hold
containing the pressure vessels. These rest in saddles built into the ship's structure. Double bottoms and other spaces
e mail the webmaster
act as water ballast tanks.

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Liquid gas carriers
carriers, especially the
pressurised type, are
characterised by their
Search this site tanks, usually cylindrical
of spherical which are
>Having download problems? prominent along the
>About this site deck of the vessel. Non
pressurised vessels may
>Terms of use look more like a refined
>Privacy policy products carrier as the
box shaped tanks are
>View site stats not so visible.

Last Updated: 25/4/2006

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Semi pressurised LPG carriers

In these ships, sometimes referred to as 'semi-refrigerated', the cargo is carried in pressure vessels usually bi-lobe in
cross section, designed for operating pressures of up to 7 bars. The tanks are constructed of special grade steel
suitable for the cargo carriage temperature. The tanks are insulated to minimise heat input to the cargo. The cargo
boils off causing generation of vapour, which is reliquefied by refrigeration and returned to the cargo tanks. The
required cargo temperature and pressure is maintained by the reliquefaction plant. These ships are usually larger
than the fully pressurised types and have cargo capacities up to about 20,000 m3. As with the fully pressurised ship,
the cargo tanks are of pressure vessel construction and similarly located well inboard of the ship's side and also
protected by double bottom ballast tanks. This arrangement again results in a very robust and inherently buoyant
ship.

To navigate this site click on Fully refrigerated LPG carrier

the menu above or on the
flyout or drop down menus. These are generally large ships, up to about 100,000 m3
Items marked > will open in a cargo capacity, those above 70,000 m3 being designated
new browser window. Click on as VLGCs. Many in the intermediate range (say 30,000
SITE INDEX for a list of all the
pages in this site. m3 to 60,000 m3) are suitable for carrying the full range
of hydrocarbon liquid gas from butane to propylene and
may be equipped to carry chemical liquid gases such as
This site generally details the
ammonia. Cargoes are carried at near ambient pressure
types of vessels that visit the and at temperatures down to -48ºC. Reliquefaction plants
Solent area (the ports of are fitted, with substantial reserve plant capacity
Southampton and Portsmouth provided. The cargo tanks do not have to withstand high
in the UK), but as there has pressures and are therefore generally of the free standing
been worldwide interest in prismatic type. The tanks are robustly stiffened internally
vessel types, I have included
types that may not visit this and constructed of special low temperature resistant steel.
area. All ships have substantial double bottom spaces and some
have side ballast tanks.

This site is designed, managed,

owned and maintained by Tony
Richardson the webmaster, and
is intended solely for the
purpose of public enjoyment,
and the site has no commercial In all cases the tanks are protectively located inboard. The ship's structure surrounding or adjacent to the cargo tanks
associations with the material is also of special grade steel, in order to form a secondary barrier to safely contain any cold cargo should it leak from
contained herein. the cargo tanks. All cargo tanks, whether they be of the pressure vessel type or rectangular, are provided with safety
relief valves amply sized to relieve boil-off in the absence of reliquefaction and even in conditions of surrounding fire.
This site is for ship enthusiasts
and the webmaster cannot
respond to commercial
enquiries.

Any information, maps, charts, Ethylene, one of the

notices, and other navigation chemical gases, is the
information contained on this premier building block of
site is solely for reference must the petrochemicals
not be used for navigation or industry. It is used in
for any other purpose apart
from viewing it for your own the production of
enjoyment. I have no control polyethylene, ethylene
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**VESSEL TYPES - OIL/GAS/LPG/LNG/CHEMICAL TANKERS**
over the accuracy of any
information contained in offsite
links, and conditions outlined in
the site Terms of Use shall
apply.
This site is best viewed using
Microsoft Explorer 6 with a
screen resolution of 1024x768
with Java enabled. To hear the
sound clips and view the video
clips, your browser must be
Flash enabled. Your security
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viewing of I frames.
General arrangement vessel types
roro pcc pctc vehicle carrier pictures
escort tractor tugs voith schneider
cycloidal propulsion offshore supply
ships oil tankers chemical LNG LPG
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dichloride, ethanol,
styrene, glycols and
many other products.
Ethelyne Carrier
Storage is usually as a fully refrigerated liquid at -104ºC. Ships designed for ethylene carriage also fall into the semi-
pressurised class. They are relatively few in number but are among the most sophisticated ships afloat. In the more
advanced designs they have the ability to carry several grades. Typically this range can extend to ethane, LPG,
ammonia, propylene butadiene and vinyl chloride monomer (VCM). To aid in this process several independent cargo
systems co-exist onboard to avoid cross contamination of the cargoes, especially for the reliquefaction process. The
ships range in size from about 2,000 m3 to 15,000 m3 although several larger ships now trade in ethylene. Ship
design usually includes independent cargo tanks (Type-C), and these may be cylindrical or bi-lobe in shape
constructed from stainless steel. An inert gas generator is provided to produce dry inert gas or dry air. The generator
is used for inerting and for the dehydration of the cargo system as well as the interbarrier spaces during voyage. For
these condensation occurs on cold surfaces with unwanted build-ups of ice. Deck tanks are normally provided for
changeover of cargoes. The hazards associated with the cargoes involved are obvious from temperature, toxic and
flammable concerns. Accordingly, the safety of all such craft is critical with good management and serious personnel
training remaining paramount.
LNG carrier with
membrane tanks.
**VESSEL TYPES - OIL/GAS/LPG/LNG/CHEMICAL TANKERS**

LNG carrier with type B

tanks.

LNG carrier
All LNG carriers have a watertight inner hull and most
tank designs are required to have a secondary
containment capable of safely holding any leakage for a
period of 15 days. Because of the simplicity and reliability
of stress analysis of the spherical containment designs, a
full secondary barrier is not required but splash barriers
and insulated drip trays protect the inner hull from any
leakage that might occur in operation.

Existing LNG carriers do not reliquefy boil-off gases, they are steam ships and the gas is used as fuel for the ship's
boilers. The first ships to burn this gas in medium speed diesel engines will be delivered in 2005/6, and ships with
reliquefaction plant and conventional slow speed diesel engines will enter service late in 2007. It is likely that gas
turbine propelled ships may appear soon after this.

Natural gas hydrate carrier. (NGH)

In comparison with the conventional
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) which is
produced and stored at extremely low
temperature of -162°C , the production
cost for NGH is much lower. Although the
transportation amount per unit energy of
NGH is more than that of LNG, the
facilities of NGH for production, storage,
transport and gasification can be
simplified because NGH requires a milder
condition i.e. -20°C under atmospheric
pressure. Eventually, the total cost of
NGH system including production,
storage, transportation and gasification
therefore is much cheaper than that of
LNG.

Chemical Tankers
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From the outside

chemical tankers look
similar to refined
products carriers. The
difference lies with the
tanks which must be
lined with a suitable
material which is inert
to the cargo and may be
capable of heating or
cooling the cargo. Also
the hold may be divided
up into many well
isolated tanks to allow
the carriage of many
types of chemical
simultaneously (parcel
tankers) The manifold
where the ship is
unloaded tends to be
complicated and the
decks are sometimes
covered with pipe work,
valves, vents and
processing plant.

Chemicals were once carried around the world as deck cargo

in drums and glass carboys on conventional ships, stowed
near the rail so they could be easily jettisoned if acid started
to leak over the deck or fire broke out and never carried in
the holds. But chemical shipments grew substantially, with
more demanding products, and gradually a class of ship
designed to carry chemicals in bulk was evolved. These are
highly sophisticated ships - some people describe them as
"liquid liners" with the most complex vessels able to carry up
to sixty different types of chemicals, each in its own carriage
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conditions, with its own piping and pumping system. Some

cargoes will require heating, others refrigerating, some are so
volatile that they must be kept safe under a blanket of inert
nitrogen, others react violently with water, so must be
handled in ultra-dry conditions. Some are desperately
corrosive and require tanks of the highest quality of stainless
steel , while others must have tank coatings of a precise
specification.

Complex manifold arrangement - typical of chemical

tankers with segregated tanks.

Some tankers are

specifically designed for
one type of cargo. A
molten sulphur carrier is
such a vessel. Sulphur
remains liquid at
temperatures from 240
to 310F, but quickly
increases in viscosity
above 320F and freezes
at 240F. The cargo is
maintained at 278F.

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**VESSEL TYPES - OIL/GAS/LPG/LNG/CHEMICAL TANKERS**

Chemical parcel tankers are versatile vessels designed to carry a wide range of liquid and chemical cargoes.
Externally, they appear similar to petroleum product/chemical tankers, but typically can carry 10 to 60 separate cargo
tanks to simultaneously accommodate multiple cargoes or “parcels.” They range in total cargo capacity from
approximately 3,000 to 50,000 tons, although most are well under 50,000 tons.

Some cargoes must be kept in motion, lest they settle out, and others can only be carried in tanks which have never
carried cargoes with which they are incompatible. Some cargoes can be tainted by the residue of a previous cargo,
even after a stainless steel tank has been scrupulously cleaned and purged. Some cargoes react violently to others,
or to exposure to the atmosphere. Many are flammable, explosive or give off noxious vapours so safety will always be
an important consideration. Some are edible. Many of these chemical cargoes are immensely valuable, demand
fantastic standards of cleanliness to maintain their product purity and must be discharged to the last drop, with none
left remaining on board. Special pumps are installed to assist in this. The stowage and handling of one of these
chemical parcel tankers (so called because a tank constitutes a "parcel" of cargo), demands enormous care and
precision, meticulous planning and a great deal of specialist knowledge additional to the normal skills of the
navigator. A multiple port schedule, with perhaps several different specialist berths to load and discharge in the same
port is not unusual. The use of computers for planning and stowage has been invaluable in modern times; indeed it is
difficult to recall how the business was undertaken without such electronic assistance. Special training and
SITE INDEX certification is required for officers in these ships, who need to have a good knowledge, not merely of these cargoes
Click Here and their characteristics, but of all the trade names given to the varied products, which may be presented in port.
New products are being developed all the time by the chemical industry throughout the world, and being offered for
shipment. Keeping up with the scientists is a special responsibility for this sector of the shipping industry, which,
despite the often hazardous cargo carried, enjoys an excellent safety record with a modern fleet of double-hulled
ships which range from 3000 tonne acid tankers to 80,000 tonne chemical parcel vessels.

Here a list of some of substances Anhydrous Ammonia Isopropyl amine

that are carried by chemical/edible Propene Oxide Methyl chloride
products tankers: Xylene Monoethylamine
Ammonia Benzene
Ethane n-Butane Alcohols
Propene (Propylene) Acetaldehyde Vinyl chloride Monore (VCM)
Vinyl Ethyl Ether Dimethylamine i-Butane
Pentane Ethyl chloride Butene (Butylene)
Styrene Diethyl ether Butadiene
Latex Isoprene (Monomer) Ethene Oxide/Propene Oxide
Vegetable oil Beer Commercial Propane
Molasses Fruit Juice Wine
Asphalt Acid

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