How liquefied natural gas is transported by sea
Overview of tankers carrying liquefied natural gas (LNG).
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Transcript
Ras Laffan Port, Qatar - from here enormous, specially designed tankers transport liquefied natural gas, or LNG, all over the world. These pot-bellied giants of engineering are capable of storing more than 125,000 cubic meters of liquefied gas. That's enough to supply more than 300,000 homes with natural gas for a year. These behemoths of the sea are filled automatically - remotely-controlled from a centralized operations room. High-tech insulation within the tanks ensures a constant temperature. After all, gas companies want to lose as little as possible of their precious cargo during transit.
These ships transport a large portion of the world's energy resources and are as long as three football pitches.
Zeebrugge, Belgium - this is one of the most important ports for LNG carriers in Europe. Tugboats maneuver this latest-generation tanker into the harbor. Instead of being equipped with spherical containers, this ship has membrane tanks. Their rectangular shape allows for a more efficient use of the space on board the ship. The largest, currently operating LNG carriers can hold more than 210,000 cubic meters of liquefied gas.
Caution is the name of the game when unloading these supertankers. The cargo is not flammable but still, if the cold gas were to leak out the consequences could be catastrophic. The gas would quickly evaporate and be carried off by the wind. But it is possible that the gas could catch fire while in the air. The engineers also have to ensure that the liquefied gas doesn't come into contact with the steel hull of the ship. The metal would start to corrode very quickly.
To be on the safe side, the sides of the ship are sprayed with water during unloading. In March 2007, the first cargo of LNG from Qatar arrived here. The port of Zeebrugge wants to be a key intersection in supplying gas to North West Europe. That's why gigantic natural gas storage facilities have been built here. The gas pipeline grid, above all the one connecting Belgium and France, has also seen heavy investment in recent times.
These ships transport a large portion of the world's energy resources and are as long as three football pitches.
Zeebrugge, Belgium - this is one of the most important ports for LNG carriers in Europe. Tugboats maneuver this latest-generation tanker into the harbor. Instead of being equipped with spherical containers, this ship has membrane tanks. Their rectangular shape allows for a more efficient use of the space on board the ship. The largest, currently operating LNG carriers can hold more than 210,000 cubic meters of liquefied gas.
Caution is the name of the game when unloading these supertankers. The cargo is not flammable but still, if the cold gas were to leak out the consequences could be catastrophic. The gas would quickly evaporate and be carried off by the wind. But it is possible that the gas could catch fire while in the air. The engineers also have to ensure that the liquefied gas doesn't come into contact with the steel hull of the ship. The metal would start to corrode very quickly.
To be on the safe side, the sides of the ship are sprayed with water during unloading. In March 2007, the first cargo of LNG from Qatar arrived here. The port of Zeebrugge wants to be a key intersection in supplying gas to North West Europe. That's why gigantic natural gas storage facilities have been built here. The gas pipeline grid, above all the one connecting Belgium and France, has also seen heavy investment in recent times.