1970 9 LNG Carriers in service.

1971 1st Technigaz membrane on an LNG Carrier ‘Descartes’ after successful trials on LPG Ships.

1972 1st Gastech hosted by London (global LNG trade = 1.5 million TPA).

1973 1st LNG Carrier with spherical tanks built in the Moss Rosenberg shipyard in Norway ‘Norman lady’ (87,600 m3).

1979 SIGTTO established.

1979 (June) ‘El Paso Paul Kaiser’ (125,000 m3 LNGC) runs aground at 17 knots off Gibraltar.

1979 (July) The cargo from ‘El Paso Paul Kaiser’ is transferred to one of her sister ships and is the world’s1st ship-to-ship transfer between LNG Carriers.

1979 (Dec) ‘LNG Taurus’ runs aground.

2004 LNG demonstrated to be a non-toxic gas.

2005• LNG World Trade showed

tremendous increase.• SIGTTO suggested best practice for

the LNG industry.

2005/2006 Problems with the new CS1 containment system

2006• 1st occurrence of cargo rollover on

an LNG Carrier.• 1st LNG Carrier with reliquefaction

entered service• 1st commercial transfer of LNG

between the LNG Carriers• ‘Provalys’ enters service as the

first dual-fuel diesel-electric LNGC• World fleet of LNG Carriers had

grown to over 200 ships in service• Qatar’s exports of LNG reaches

26 million tpamaking it the world’s largest exporter.

2007 • First full cargo transfer of LNG

between the LNG Carriers• 1st RegasifiedLNG from ‘ship to

shore via Jetty’ is conducted at Teeside, UK.

2009 The world fleet of LNG Carriers in service reaches 300 ships

2010 11 LNG Carriers laid-up

1980 49 LNG Carriers in service.

1981 Midship jettisoning attempt of LNG. 1983 30 LNG Carriers are laid up around the world for economic reasons, some remaining in lay up for almost 20 years.

1985 LNGC spills approx 40 m3 on her deck, which causes the deck to fracture due to brittle stress.

1989 2 x IHI SPB ships ordered for delivery in 1993.

1964 ‘Methane Princess’ and ‘Methane Progress’ (27,400 m3) enter service as the first ships to burn cargo boil-off (before this time any cargo boil-off had been vented).

1965 ‘Jules Verne’ (25,500 m3) ordered by Gaz de France.

1965 Gaz Transport was established.

1967 1st contract to import LNG to Japan, from Kenai (Alaska) to Tokyo on the ships: ‘Polar Alaska’ and ‘Arctic Tokyo’.

1967 1st Gaz Transport membrane installation on an LNG Carrier ‘Polar Alaska’ after successful trials on LPG Ships.

1990 71 LNG Carriers in service

1997 ‘Methane Princess’ scrapped after 32 years of service, not due to her condition but because of her uneconomical size.

1998 World fleet of LNG Carriers passes 100 ships.

2011 (May) Contract for floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) ‘Prelude’ concluded between Shell and Samsung.

2011 (year end) 241 million tons of LNG shipped on 4,110 loaded voyages. Short-term spot charter rates now at $78,000/day.

2012 (Jan) Qatar achieves full export capacity of 77 million tonnes per annum.

2012 (Oct) Worlds 1st LNG powered ferry, the 56,000 gt ‘Viking Grace’ is launched.

2012 (Q1) Short term spot-charter rates now at $130,000/day for newer LNG Carriers.

More than 370 LNG Carriers in service

Around 4,500 to 5,000 serving LNG-ship officers.

Conventional LNGC = 125,000 – 145,000 m3 Steam Turbine

New Conventional size 155,000 – 170,000 m3

Q-flex = 216,000 m3 (27 Q-flex in service)

Q-max = 265,000 m3 (9 Q-max in service)

LNG Shipping possesses the most envied safety record in world shipping, with no significant accident or cargo spillage in its first 40 years during more than 40,000 sea voyages. Now, with a lack of training berths on the existing tonnage, new operations evolving in countries with no LNG experience and a stellar growth in the LNG industry in the first decade of the 21st century, it must work hard to retain that.

Shortage of Adequately Trained Officers and Crew to Meet the Increased

Manning Requirements.

2011 LNG World Trade (Exports) 2011

2011 LNG World Trade(Imports) 2011

Around 4,500 to 5,000 servingLNG-ship officers. There is stillneed of officers with experienceof LNG and steam engineers.

1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s1950s

History of LNG Shipment / LNG Transportation by Sea

Medmax = 75,000 m3

Follow Witherbys on:

@Witherbys* Source IGU World LNG Report - 2011

1954 Spherical design for carriage of LNG submitted by Dr Ovind Lorentzen to Norske Veritas.

1954 Gaz de France conduct studies on the import of LNG to France, concluding that by ship is the most feasible.

1958 1st shipment of LNG by the ‘Methane Pioneer’ carrying 5,000 cubic metres of LNG from the Lake Charles, USA to Canvey Island, UK.

Qatar, 75.5

Malaysia, 25

Indonesia, 21.4

Australia, 19.2

Nigeria, 18.7

Trinidad, 13.9

Algeria, 12.6

Russia, 10.5

Oman, 7.9

Brunei, 6.8

Yemen, 6.7

UAE, 5.9Others, 11.1 Japan, 78.8

Korea, 35.8

UK, 18.6

Spain, 17.1

China, 12.8

India, 12.7

Taiwan, 12.2

France, 10.7

Italy, 6.4 USA, 5.9

Turkey, 4.6

Belgium, 4.5

Others, 21.2

Moss type LNG Carrier

Moss type LNG Carrier

Membrane type LNG CarrierMembrane type LNG Carrier Moss type LNG Carrier