AG&P Unveils First Ultra-Shallow Draft Small LNGC Work Horse

AG&P (Atlantic, Gulf and Pacific Company), the leading infrastructure solutions provider, today announced the launch of its ultra-shallow draft 4000 – 8000m³ LNG carrier (LNGC), capable of accessing rivers and shallow harbors with a draft of only two meters. In a first for the rapidly emerging small-scale LNG infrastructure industry in Southeast Asia, the LNGC will serve as a ‘work horse’ for near shore LNG milk-run deliveries to locations that have limited access including shallow rivers and restricted harbors with low water depth.

Conceived by AG&P, the first-of-its-kind vessel, the LNGC work horse has a unique hull design that reduces the waterline entrance angle and vessel resistance in waves. It can be ballasted in open water improving both stability and speed and does not need handling tugs. The vessel cargo capacity is easily scalable from 4000 – 8000m³ with flexibility to travel near shore or take on LNG cargo from a floating storage unit (FSU) anchored offshore. It can navigate open seas as well as riverine waterways with a minimum speed requirement as low as eight knots.

Speaking at the 4th Annual Gas Asia Summit in Singapore, Mr. Derek Thomas, Head of AG&P’s Advanced Research Unit, said, “LNG can be break-bulked – breaking larger LNG cargoes into smaller shipments – and transported in small volumes over short distances using coastal tankers, specialized trucks and trains to a variety of customers. The availability of a smaller scale delivery network through break-building has enabled both distributed power generation and a variety of industrial applications in various manufacturing and processing facilities. Our new scalable LNGC is a plug-and-play customisable supply solution that requires lower capital cost making LNG more accessible and economically viable for small or developing LNG import markets.”

AG&P will finance and build the 4000–8000m³ LNGC in 16 months at its world-class manufacturing facility in the Philippines. The vessel will be available for sale or lease, making it immediately financially feasible for new developers of LNG-related projects.

AG&P recently created a world-leading franchise for small- and mid-scale LNG infrastructure to build-out a complete virtual LNG pipeline. With in-house design and engineering capabilities coupled with asset construction and delivery services, AG&P has the capability to develop flexible and economic solutions that best fit the customer’s needs and optimizes an asset’s value.

Reference: businesswire.com