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Classification society Bureau Veritas has published requirements for ships which are designed and fitted out for dual-fuel or liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel propulsion but which are not initially intended to use gas as a fuel.

The requirements, set out in Rule Note NR 627 Gas-Prepared Ships, cover special arrangements for new ships that are designed with specific arrangements to accommodate future installation of an LNG fuel gas system.

Jean-Francois Segretain, Technical Director, Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore Division, remarked: "Many owners consider that they will switch to LNG as a fuel in the future, but are not yet ready to make that change. It makes sense to build and lay out ships so they can easily be converted in the future. We were the first into dual-fuel ships and as the leaders we want to use our experience to help that process. The requirements of this notation set a benchmark or designers and yards so they can ensure that every ship is future-proofed and able to be easily converted to LNG as a fuel when the market conditions are right."

NR 627 sets out how the initial design of the ship is to take into account the necessary spaces or zones to accommodate the following installations:

- LNG bunkering station

- LNG storage tanks

- Fuel gas handling system

- Ventilation systems

- GVU

- GCU, where required by NR529

- Vent mast.

Vessels meeting the standards will be awarded the notation 'Gas-Prepared'.

The notation may be modified with the addition of:

- S when specific arrangements are implemented for the ship structure.

- P when specific arrangements are implemented for piping.

- ME-DF when the main engine(s) is (are) of the dual-fuel type.

- AEB when the auxiliary engines and oil-fired boilers are either of the dual-fuel type, or designed for future conversion to dual-fuel operation.

Image: The MV Sajir - The world's first ever LNG-ready ultra-large container ship, built for United Arab Shipping Company (UASC).