The Swiss company Burckhardt Compression is equipping eight LNG tankers built by Hanwha Ocean.
The Winterthur-based company, which specialises in reciprocating compressors, is thus expanding its presence in the maritime sector. The ships are to be equipped with so-called boil-off gas compressors, which keep the pressure in the liquefied gas tanks at the desired level. According to Burckhardt, this is the latest addition to the maritime portfolio. “This new compressor solution marks the company’s entry into the market for boil-off gas compressors for LNG tankers with low-pressure 2-stroke engines,” it said in a statement.
Burckhardt enters the LNG market
The new LNG tankers will be equipped with low-pressure propulsion systems in combination with the patented partial reliquefaction system from South Korean shipbuilding company Hanwha Ocean. They are said to be “the key element of the reliquefaction process” by bringing LNG boil-off gas to a pressure of 150 bar, including fully dry-running cylinders at all stages, a more compact design and higher efficiency.
“With this order, we are expanding our product range to meet the evolving needs of the marine industry and strengthen our position as a major player in the LNG market,” said Fabrice Billard, CEO of Burckhardt Compression. “Our compressors are an integral part of the industry’s evolution towards more sustainable practices and we are proud to contribute to this significant change.”
The company was founded in 1844 as a mechanical workshop by Franz Burckhardt in Winterthur, Switzerland, and has been a machine factory since 1878. Today, it operates as a global manufacturer of compressors in over 80 countries.
