South Korea has hosted a naming ceremony for its first-ever domestic LNG bunker vessel, India’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) revealed.
As revealed, the vessel Blue Whale was reportedly christened on 10 May. The ship was developed by local shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (popular as HHI) at the Ulsan shipyard. The value of the contract was estimated at KRW 55.3 billion.
According to MOTIE, this is the first-ever vessel to be equipped with the next-gen Korean KC-2 cargo design. The nation has been working on its cargo technologies for years, and now, the system was finally upgraded to satisfy the demands of this vessel.
When Blue Whale starts offering service, it will be possible to supply LNG for 250 tank lorry trucks to the vessels directly, MOTIE stressed.
This is expected to significantly lower the time- and space-specific constraints of LNG bunkering and boost efficiency.
In December 2022, the nation christened its first-ever dual-fuel and smart electric passenger vessel, integrating several information and communication strategies. The ship was constructed in Ulsan by the
South Korean shipbuilding major Hyundai Mipo Dockyard (the HMD) is part of the Hyundai Heavy Industries Group.
References: LNG Journal