Virtually all liquefied gases are hydrocarbons and flammable in nature. Liquefaction itself packages the gas into volumes well suited to international carriage – freight rates for a gas in its non-liquefied form would be normally far too costly.
Gas Carrier is a cargo ship constructed or adapted and used for the carriage in bulk of any liquefied gas or other substance.
Gas carriers range in capacity from the small pressurized ships of between 500 and 6,000 m3 for the shipment of propane, butane and the chemical gases at ambient temperature up to the fully insulated or refrigerated ships of over 100,000 m3 capacity for the transport of LNG and LPG.
LNG is liquefied natural gas and is methane naturally occurring within the earth, or in association with oil fields. It is carried in its liquefied form at its boiling point of -162°C. LNG are very large ships with cargo capacity range from 25000 m3 to 145000 m3.
LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) covers both butane and propane, or a mix of the two. The main use for these products varies from country to country but sizeable volumes go as power station or refinery fuels. LPG, fully refrigerated cargo tanks are free standing prismatic type operating at temperatures down to -50°C and limited pressure of 0.7 bar. These ships have cargo capacity from 5000 m3 to 100000 m3.
Chemical tankers carry their most hazardous cargoes in center tanks, whilst cargoes of lesser danger can be shipped in the wing tanks.
Liquefied gases tanker
