Saga LNG Shipping Names First LNG Carrier

March 13, 2019

Saga LNG Shipping held a Naming Ceremony for its new liquefied natural gas carrier (LNGC) this Wednesday, March 13, 2019, at China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) Co. Ltd. in Haimen, China.

The 45,000m3 LNGC named Saga Dawn will be delivered this May and enter into service shortly after. Saga Dawn is the world’s first LNG Carrier featuring an IMO type A LNG containment system, based on LNT Marine’s patented LNT A-BOX design. The ABS-classed vessel was built at China Merchants Heavy Industry’s Jiangsu yard and features Wärtsilä dual-fuel main and auxiliary engines.

“Today’s naming of Saga Dawn represents a monumental achievement that would not have been possible without the dedication, hard work, and close cooperation of all those involved. It is also a day of many firsts; the first LNG Carrier to be built at CMHI, the first ever LNG Carrier to feature LNT Marine’s A-BOX technology, and the first vessel in Saga LNG Shipping’s fleet. We are confident the momentum of this significant milestone will allow us to order many more similar vessels in the near future to meet evolving market demands”, said David Wu, Founder and CEO of Saga LNG Shipping.

“Saga Dawn brings new life to the dwindling midsized LNG fleet. With difficult to reach end-users in mind, the vessel has a fully laden draft of only nine meters and has no partial loading restrictions. The vessel is a preview of what is to come in the rapid development of midsized LNG infrastructure. We expect Saga Dawn to pave the way for new business models, innovative trades and the opening up of stranded demand centers, especially in Asia”, said Jonathan Verswijver, VP of Business Development at Saga LNG Shipping.

Further Information:

Saga LNG Shipping is currently in the final stages of development for an 80,000m3 LNGC design with a nine-meter fully laden draft, aimed at regional imports into Chinese terminals. Saga has further developed and obtained Approvals in Principle (AiP) for its shallow draft 28,500m3 “Wuhan Max” and 12,000m3 “Yichang Max” designs aimed at opening up trade along China’s Yangtze River.

LNT Marine’s proprietary containment system for LNG and other liquefied gasses, dubbed the “LNT A- BOX®”, features an IMO independent tank type A as the primary barrier, a conventional cargo tank support system and liquid-tight thermal insulation attached to the hull compartment which acts as a full secondary barrier. The self-supporting prismatic tanks allow for simple construction and flexible design while maintaining market-leading utilization of the hull space.

Based around the LNT A-BOX® technology, Saga LNG Shipping aims to build, own and operate a series of tailor-made small and midsized LNG assets targeted at projects currently in various stages of development. Types of assets included in Saga LNG’s scope are FSUs, LNG Barges & LNGCs, FSRUs, FLNGs, and LNG Bunker Vessels, all within the 1,000 to 100,000 cubic meter range.