Material Applied to LNG Carrier

POSCO has developed high manganese steel to be applied to the LNG fuel tank of an LNG-fuelled bulk carrier.
POSCO has developed high manganese steel to be applied to the LNG fuel tank of an LNG-fuelled bulk carrier.

 

POSCO announced on July 6 that high manganese steel it developed on its own is scheduled to be applied to the LNG fuel tank of an LNG-fuelled bulk carrier that is being built by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard.

According to the company, its high manganese steel supply to this end begins in the third quarter of this year. The bulk carrier is to be completed late next year and then transport limestone used by POSCO from Gangwon Province to the company’s steel mill located in Gwangyang City. This ship has a cargo capacity of 50,000 tons, more than seven times those of LNG-fuelled bulk carriers in general. In addition, it is to be equipped with a dual-fuel engine to be driven by the use of both Bunker C oil and LNG.

The high manganese steel to be applied to the fuel tank has a manganese content of approximately 20% and is capable of storing ultra-low-temperature LNG at 162 degrees Celsius below zero. The steel has higher levels of yield strength, cryogenic toughness and the like than the alloy materials used for similar tanks including nickel and aluminum. It can be supplied at a lower cost, too.

POSCO is anticipating that its high manganese steel supply to Hyundai Mipo Dockyard will lead to market expansion. “The LNG-fuelled bulk carrier is designed in accordance with the IGF Code so that it can be used in the ocean,” POSCO explained, adding, “Once this vessel is put into operation, high manganese steel will become more likely to be adopted as a material for ultra-low-temperature environments by the International Maritime Organization.”

 

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