Natural Gas By Sea: The Development of a New Technology

Forty years ago the first attempts were made to find the materials, and to establish practical design and building techniques, for shipping liquefied natural gas (LNG) at its boiling point of -165 degrees Centigrade safely across the oceans of the world in commercial quantities. This book describes the way in which this fascinating new technology was developed and how it became a well established, highly sophisticated and safe, branch of modern marine engineering; ships of up to 135,000m3 capacity and, for their size, the most expensive merchant ships afloat, are now in regular service worldwide. The technology is still developing and the trade expanding. This new edition brings the reader up to date and offers an 'educated guess' as to what the future might have in store.