China Merchants Youlian completed the third VLGC sea test and gas test of BW LPG

BW LPG recently announced that the "BW Orion" being refitted by China Merchants Industrial Shenzhen Youlian Shipyard has completed sea and natural gas tests. As the world's largest LPG shipping company, BW LPG's LPG ship fuel power transformation project has achieved a new milestone. It is reported that in August last year, BW LPG announced that in response to the upcoming IMO emission regulations, it plans to transform its 12 VLGCs into dual-fuel ships that can use LPG as fuel. The BW LPG dual-fuel retrofit project is the world's first project to use LPG as the host clean fuel. China Merchants Industry finally won the retrofit order. The cost of dual-fuel power conversion for each ship is as high as 9 million US dollars. The "BW Orion" and the "BW Gemini" and "BW Leo" that have been modified before are the first batch of very large gas carriers (VLGC) to be converted using leading LPG propulsion technology. This is also the third of 15 ships to be retrofitted with LPG dual-fuel propulsion technology. BW LPG predicts that the energy efficiency of the "BW Gemini" wheels that use LPG dual-fuel power will be about 11% higher than that of low-sulfur oil (LSFO). The use of LPG as fuel also has easy storage and faster fuel replenishment, thus shortening the turnaround time of these ships in ports. LPG is cost-effective as a marine fuel. In addition to reducing fuel consumption and cost savings, LPG dual-fuel powered ships also have the advantages of dual-fuel use flexibility and lower price sensitivity. BW LPG pointed out that about 2,060 tons of carbon dioxide were emitted during the renovation process, which is a 97% reduction in emissions compared with ordering new ships using similar technology. Decarbonization is one of the main challenges of the industry, and it is also the core commitment of BW LPG to pursue sustainable development. BW LPG believes that using liquefied petroleum gas as a propulsion fuel is a promising solution for sustainable shipping. LPG can also be used as a fuel for connecting ammonia, because the materials used in LPG storage tanks and systems are suitable for ammonia in most cases. According to DNV GL, by planning ahead, the adjustments required to switch from LPG to ammonia can also be minimized.