New Orleans-headquartered Quality Liquefied Natural Gas Transport (Q-LNG) has received US Coast Guard design basis acceptance and regulatory approvals to move forward with the design and construction of two larger variants of its 4,000 cubic meter capacity LNG bunkering ATB unit, currently being completed by shipbuilder VT Halter at Pascagoula, Mississippi.
The designs receiving approval are for 5,400 cubic meter capacity and 8,000 cubic meter capacity ATBs, all using bilobe-shaped stainless-steel tanks.
Shell has chartered the prototype 4,000 cubic meter capacity ATB to bunker Carnival Cruise Line’s two new Florida-based 180,000-gt dual-fuel cruise ships as well as two dual-fuel car carriers being phased into operation by Siem that will transport Volkswagen vehicles across the North Atlantic.