Al Shamal (IMO 9360893) — LNG carrier, 217k m³

Specification

As GEM reports it: containment “membrane”, propulsion “SSD”.

Samsung Heavy IndustriesSouth Korea · delivered 2008

Membrane (system not specified)Membrane

Stakes exactly as GEM reports them for this vessel.

Vessels from the same yard, delivered the same year, with the same cargo capacity to the nearest 1,000 m³. A shared design is likely but not certain.

Vessel	IMO	Status	Capacity	Containment	Propulsion
Al Huwaila	9360879	Operating	217,000	Membrane (system not specified)	Slow-speed diesel
Al Kharsaah	9360881	Operating	217,000	Membrane (system not specified)	Slow-speed diesel
Al Khuwair	9360908	Operating	217,000	Membrane (system not specified)	Slow-speed diesel

Background on the technology and the terms used on this page.

LNG carrier anatomy
An LNG carrier is a ship built around insulated cargo tanks that hold liquefied gas at minus 162 degrees, with an engine able to burn the cargo vapour that inevitably boils off during the voyage.
Membrane versus Moss tanks
Cargo containment is the system that holds LNG at minus 162 degrees inside a ship, and it comes in two families: membranes, which are thin barriers supported by the hull, and free-standing tanks, which carry their own load.
Ship classes: conventional, Q-Flex, Q-Max and small-scale
LNG carriers fall into recognised size classes running from small-scale vessels under 30,000 cubic metres, through the 174,000 cubic metre conventional standard, to the 266,000 cubic metre Q-Max ships built for Qatar.
Boil-off and reliquefaction
Boil-off is the small fraction of an LNG cargo that evaporates each day as heat leaks into the tanks, and it is what keeps the rest of the cargo cold.