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DNV GL has awarded Norway's Vard Engineering Brevik AS with an approval in principle (AIP) for their new 6,500-cubic-metre (cbm) bunker vessel design. The design has been evaluated for compliance with the DNV GL Gas Bunker rules, the applicable Gas Carrier rules as well as the IGC Code's 2016 edition.

"The excellent cooperation between DNV GL and Vard resulted in a development enabling flexibility and quality assurance of our design. We are proud of our joint efforts and strongly believe that the cooperation between DNV GL and Vard results in first class designs for shipowners and operators", commented Oystein Kristoffersen Saether, Managing Director for Vard Engineering Brevik.

The AIP is a continuation of the General Approval of Ship Application (GASA) of Vard and Brevik Technology's new IMO Type-B LNG cargo containment system, which was granted by DNV GL at the end of 2015.

"With the continuing rise in interest in LNG as a ship fuel, both from an environmental and economic perspective, it is essential that we continue to develop the infrastructure which will allow this technology to thrive," commented Johan Petter Tutturen, Business Director for Gas Carriers at DNV GL. "We are very pleased to have been able to build on this excellent cooperation with Vard and support their interest and dedication in developing this new concept."

An approval in principle is an independent assessment of a concept within an agreed framework, confirming that the design is feasible and no significant obstacles exist to prevent the concept from being realized. The AIP is typically carried out at an early stage of a project to confirm its feasibility for the project team itself, company management, external investors or regulators.

The bunker vessel is to be given the following class notation: 1A tanker for liquefied gas (-163C, 500 kg/m3, 0.7 bar) Gas Bunker.