On October 27, Jiangnan Shipbuilding delivered the second ship in the series of 99,000 cubic meter ultra-large ethane carriers (VLEC 2.0) built for Southwest Shipping, the “GAS LOTUS” (H2711), at a signing ceremony. This vessel was named on August 16, the same day as the first ship in the series, the “GAS ORCHID”.
Jiangnan Shipbuilding has efficiently and high-quality completed the construction of multiple ships of this type, earning full affirmation and trust from Southwest Shipping. Simultaneously, based on the existing construction foundation and through reform, innovation, and management improvement, and with a customer-centric approach, it persists in providing high-quality ships for Southwest Shipping to support its business development. The ship delivered on October 27 is the sixth ultra-large ethane carrier delivered by Jiangnan Shipbuilding to Southwest Shipping.
The 99,000 cubic meter VLEC is independently researched, developed, and built by Jiangnan Shipbuilding. It adopts Jiangnan’s self-developed BrillianceE® Type B tank cargo containment system and is the world’s largest VLEC by tank capacity, with comprehensive technical indicators at an internationally leading level.
This ship type has an overall length of 230 meters, a molded breadth of 36.6 meters, and a molded depth of 22.5 meters. It is suitable for transporting various liquefied industrial and energy gases such as ethane, ethylene, and LPG. It also has universal compatibility with major global LPG terminals. This ship type boasts advantages such as low fuel (gas) consumption, no liquid level loading restrictions, and low maintenance costs, offering significant economic benefits. Equipped with an “Ethane” dual-fuel main engine, a shaft generator, and various energy-saving devices, it is the optimal ship type “tailor-made” for the long-distance transportation of US ethane.
During the docking stage, the engine room block met the requirement of installing all necessary components; the cable laying length in the engine room block exceeded that of all previous ships in the same series, achieving high completeness. At the undocking stage, it met the “531” status requirements, namely “Five Zero Clears” (hull welding and assembly cleared, engine room coating cleared, main deck accommodation interior outfitting cleared, gas chamber work cleared, liquid tank epoxy pouring cleared), “Three Networks Connected” (piping network connected, electrical network connected, and information network connected), and generators ready for testing. During the berth stage, various production milestones were completed smoothly according to the rhythm: deadweight measurement completed 47 days after undocking, main engine trial completed 50 days after undocking, and sea trials commenced 65 days after undocking. It is worth mentioning that this sea trial completed all items in just 6 days. The production rhythm of 100 days for both the dock and berth stages laid a solid foundation for the subsequent “33” rhythm dual 90-day cycle!
There is one final ship remaining in this series. The Jiangnan Shipbuilding construction team will continue to optimize, fully consider customer needs, and deliver better and more perfect service.
