The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has approved for construction Sea NG Corporation's Coselle compressed natural gas (CNG) ship. This is the first ship and cargo system in the world for the transport of CNG that has been approved by ABS or any other international marine classification society.
Sea NG’s Coselle CNG ships will be deployed to carry moderate volumes of natural gas – 30 to 500 million standard cubic feet – over medium distances of between 200 and 2,000 kilometers.
The Coselle is a unique, patented system, invented in Canada, for storing high-pressure gas in a coil of small diameter pipe. Numerous Coselles are contained within the specially-designed ship.
According to Sea NG, this storage system has significant safety and cost advantages over conventional large diameter pressure cylinders. The Coselle CNG System has been in development for a decade by a team of experienced gas and marine engineers.
It has been a tremendous achievement for our multidisciplinary team to complete the detailed design and marine approval process for a new class of ship, said David Stenning, president and CEO of Sea NG. Our Coselle CNG ship will provide the market with a safe, reliable and cost effective alternative means of transporting natural gas by sea.
One major advantage of the Coselle CNG System is that it requires minimal on-shore facilities. Gas can be loaded and discharged at simple port-side pipeline facilities, and this reduces environmental, land-use and financial concerns. Gas can also be trans-shipped at offshore buoys if a port is not accessible.
The potential market for the Coselle CNG ship is substantial, the company said.