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Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT) - a designer of membrane containment systems for the maritime transportation and storage of liquefied natural gas (LNG) - has confirmed that its technology has been chosen for six very large ethane carriers (VLECs) to be built by the South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy industries (SHI) for an unnamed Asian group.

"The shale gas revolution in the U.S. has major consequences in the energy sector, especially with the increasing extraction of ethane. The export of this gas by sea opens significant worldwide opportunities for the petrochemical industry. Construction and operation of ships dedicated to the transportation of ethane will meet the growing needs of this expanding market.

"This context has brought an Asian group to order six ships, four of which should be delivered by the end of 2016 and two in 2017," GTT said in a statement.

The new multi-gas vessels will be designed to transport not only ethane, but also several other types of gas, such as propane, butane and propylene. It is also understood that the ship will be built to be powered by gas. The technology chosen is the Mark III insulation system. Designed to carry ethane from the United States to Asia, these six vessels are set to be the largest VLECs ever built, according to GTT.

Commenting on the order, Philippe Berterottière, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of GTT said: "We are very proud to announce this order which demonstrates GTT’s ability to grow and adapt its offer to other emerging markets. This new multi-gas vessel design will provide operators with an extended flexibility for transporting all types of liquid gas."