Jeonnam Province Accelerates Localization of Eco-Friendly LNG Ship Ultra-Low Temperature Cargo Tanks

Active Steps to Attract Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Public Contest Projects

[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province announced on the 15th that it will take full-scale steps to attract the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s “Development of Cryogenic Insulation System Technology for Eco-friendly Ships and Establishment of Demonstration Base” project, which promotes the localization of eco-friendly LNG ship cryogenic cargo tanks.

Since 2019, the province has been recommending this project to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy based on a thorough analysis conducted by Mokpo National University, which operates the best LNG demonstration laboratory nationwide.

After the Ministry’s project was confirmed, Jeonnam Province took a leading role in preparing the detailed planning and proposal request documents for the project call in the second half of last year, earning recognition for having the best understanding of the project’s goals and nature.

LNG carriers, Korea’s main ship type, transport liquefied natural gas by reducing its volume to 1/600 to improve transportation efficiency.

The most commonly used membrane-type cryogenic cargo tanks at minus 163 degrees Celsius are monopolized by the French company GTT, causing Korea to pay approximately 10 billion KRW in technology fees per LNG carrier.

Therefore, it is urgent to develop domestic demonstration infrastructure and related technologies necessary for the entry of Korean-style cargo tanks into the global market.

In line with this, since 2019, the province has steadily prepared for the localization demonstration of cryogenic cargo tanks. In October last year, it formed the first consortium in the nation for the demonstration of Korean-style LNG cargo tanks.

The Jeonnam Province consortium is led by Mokpo National University and includes Korea’s three leading shipbuilders?Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, Samsung Heavy Industries?and the Korean Register.

Additionally, world-class LNG specialized companies such as POSCO, Korea Carbon, TMC, Unitec, Romex, as well as Seoul National University, Inha University, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Korea Conformity Laboratories with LNG cargo tank demonstration capabilities, and related companies and research institutes including Daehan Shipbuilding and Northeast Asia LNG Hub Terminal are participating on a large scale.

Governor Kim Young-rok stated, “We will definitely attract the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s LNG cryogenic insulation system technology development and demonstration project, which will be decided this month, to advance the shipbuilding industry?responsible for more than 70% of the economy in the southwestern region of Jeonnam?toward eco-friendly ships.”

He added, “Although the government has so far concentrated large-scale investments in eco-friendly ship infrastructure in the southeastern region, Jeonnam has an absolute comparative advantage in LNG cargo tank demonstration functions based on the consortium composition and past experience. From the perspective of national balanced development, since the second cluster of the shipbuilding and marine industry is forming, we will definitely attract the project to the southwestern region of Jeonnam.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.