DNV and the Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry (LISCR) have awarded an Approval in Principle (AiP) certificate to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) for a new 12K LNG Bunkering Vessel design, tailored to the needs of cruise ships
At the Gastech exhibition in Bangkok, Vidar Dolonen, Regional Manager for Korea and Japan at DNV, emphasised: “The transition to lower-emission shipping depends not only on the vessels themselves, but also on the supporting infrastructure that enables the safe and efficient use of alternative fuels. As LNG continues to play a leading role both in the cruise sector and in the wider decarbonisation efforts of the maritime industry, this concept for an LNG bunkering vessel represents an important step towards building the capacity required for the maritime energy landscape.”
Unlike conventional designs, this concept specifically omits bridge cams in order to prevent collisions with cruise ships’ lifeboats during the bunkering process, it was stated at the certificate presentation ceremony.
To compensate for the restricted side visibility resulting from the removal of the bridge cams, the vessel is equipped with a CCTV system. Furthermore, safety in terms of lateral visibility and the efficiency of the bunkering process have been improved through the integration of the ‘HiNAS SVM’ (Hyundai Intelligent Navigation Assistant System – Surround View Monitoring); this system uses data from several fisheye cameras installed around the ship to generate a 360-degree top-down view with augmented reality (AR) visualisation.
Ryu Hong Ryeul, CTO of HD HHI, explained: “As this 12,000 m³ LNGBV bunker vessel enables LNG bunkering via the ship-to-ship (STS) method without the need for a floating pontoon, it is likely to make LNG bunkering for cruise ships more efficient and flexible. Should this type of vessel gain a foothold in the market, it could significantly alter the demand structure and operating models in the LNGBV market, as this new type can refuel not only cruise ships but also conventional merchant vessels more flexibly and independently.”
Alfonso Castillero, CEO of the Liberian Registry, said: “The AiP certification is an important milestone in the development of a practical and flexible ship design that prioritises safety, regulatory compliance and operational reliability.”
