Alan Nierenberg

The Pascagoula Section of the American Society of Naval Engineers met recently at the TIKI Restaurant in Gautier, Miss.

A cocktail hour preceded a business meeting, which was chaired by A.C. LiCausi, Section chairman.

During the technical session which followed, Alan Nierenberg of the Advanced Programs Group of Avondale Shipyards, Inc., presented his paper on "The Development of Second Generation LNG Carriers for Future Importation Projects." Mr. Nierenberg made the following statements as an introduction to his paper: "The development of a ship design as an integral part of a transportation system is always a challenge to the naval architect and marine engineer. In most cases, the project has been under development for several years before the actual ship design is started, and several constraints already exist to which the ship must be adapted.

"There are several such LNG importation programs which are nearing final regulatory approval and authorization for construction.

These programs will require approximately 21 additional LNG carriers in the 125,000 to 130,000-cubic-meter class to be constructed in the United States. These ships will represent "second generation" LNG carriers in the United States and will include major refinements to the vessel design, cargo containment system, and automation contained aboard the ship.

"Although it is still uncertain which of these programs will proceed and what the final ship requirements will be, this paper will discuss some of the features that have been included in a particular design for the importation of LNG from Indonesia to the U.S. West Coast. Although it is not the prime intent of this paper to discuss the LNG containment systems themselves, it is inevitable that certain portions of the systems will be reviewed due to their impact on the remaining ship design. There is an extensive and continuing evaluation of the containment systems by both the shipyard, prospective owners and independent consultants to insure that timely and efficient production, without unforeseen problems, can take place after contract on these capital intensive vessels.

"As the information contained herein and the vessel design itself is still under further refinement and the subject of negotiations among numerous parties, I regret that it is not possible to address specific details in certain areas."