In the midst of the return leg of her maiden voyage, the BW
Gemini, the first Very Large Gas Carrier retrofitted with Liquefied Petroleum
Gas (LPG) dual-fuel propulsion technology, suffered the equivalent of a
shipping industry “fender bender.” BW LPG, owner of the vessel, reports the
crew is safe and uninjured, and that the vessel suffered only minor damage.
The BW Gemini was at anchor off Cristobal, Panama awaiting
her reservation for a transit of the Panama Canal. At about 7:30 am local time
on December 19, BW LPG, reports that vessel was lightly struck by another LPG
carrier arriving near the canal for its transit.
Soundings have been conducted to ensure the integrity of the
BW Gemini, the company reported that all indications were of no leaks and that
no pollution was spotted. They said that all required notifications have been
made and that the BW Gemini has been inspected by relevant authorities and
surveyors. “As she awaits her slot to cross the Panama Canal, she will proceed
for repairs. No impact to her voyage is expected,” the statement said.
The incident comes just after the company celebrated the completion
of the vessel’s first crossing of the Pacific since the retrofit and the
loading of the first cargo. On December 14, BW LPG said that a record load of
49,000 metric tons of LPG had been put aboard at Houston’s Enterprise Terminal
while the vessel also refueled. By being able to carryout both processes at the
same time the company highlighted it speeded up the turnaround time increasing
the vessel’s availability to customers.
At the beginning of November, the BW Gemini completed its
sea trials after the retrofit and after the tests of the dual-fuel propulsion
system was award class certification by DNV GL. During her first crossing of
the Pacific, it was expected she would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20
percent versus using traditional fuels and use approximately 10 percent less
fuel.
B LPG has already commenced the conversion of additional
vessels to the LPG dual-fuel system. The company had previously increased the
order to 12 vessels to be refitted. At the completion of the voyage to Texas,
they announced that they had decided to add three more vessels to the
conversion project bringing the total to 15 vessels with a combined cost of
approximately USD 130 million.