Singapore-based Sembcorp Marine's subsidiary Sembcorp Marine Specialised Shipbuilding has signed a letter of intent (LoI) with US-based SeaOne Caribbean to design and build up to two large compressed gas liquid (CGL) carriers.
The deal will see Sembcorp Marine provide an innovative design for the neo-panamax CGL carriers, which are to be developed on the basis of SeaOne’s single gas and liquids cargo delivery requirements.
The vessel design will feature proprietary ship component ideas from another Sembcorp Marine subsidiary known as LMG Marin.
Front-end engineering design (FEED) studies are currently being carried out for the project.
The completed vessels will be deployed for SeaOne’s Caribbean Fuels Supply Project to transport CGL from a production facility that is now under construction at the Port of Gulfport in Mississippi, US, to terminals in the Caribbean, Central and South American regions.
The 366m-long, two billion cubic feet (Bcf) capacity ships will include SeaOne’s patented CGL technology and related systems.
They will also operate using International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) Tier III compliant diesel engines with a maximum sailing speed of 20k.
The vessels will be classed by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and will run under the Marshall Islands flag.
SeaOne president and COO Dr Bruce Hall said: “SeaOne has been working with Sembcorp Marine management and engineers for a while now.
“We have found them to be a proactive company that listens to new ideas in the gas and liquids marine transportation business and provides constructive inputs on the design of the large CGL transportation vessels.”
SeaOne further noted that the newly signed LoI is an important milestone for its Caribbean Fuels Supply Project, which aims to develop a safe, environmentally friendly and cost-effective method of transporting gas and gas liquids together as a single cargo.