GasChem Beluga, an innovating liquefied ethane carrier designed & operated by our core client Hartmann Reederei was spotted in Teesside on April 27.

The 38.000 cbm LEG-carrier "GasChem Beluga", which features a length of 188.3 meters and a width of 29 meters, is able to operate on HFO, MDO and gas oil as well as LNG and is one of the world’s first to operate on ethane.

A long term time charter has been secured by GasChem Services to the petrochemical manufacturer SABIC Petrochemcials B.V.. As the first of two sister vessels, the LEG-carrier will be used for shipments of Ethane from Houston to SABIC's cracker in Teeside, UK. The second LEG-carrier ("GasChem Orca") is schedued to join its owner and time charterer in the third quarter 2017.

The innovative ECO-STAR design of "GasChem Beluga" sets new standards in environmentally friendly and economic shipping by reduced consumption/emissions and an increased cargo capacity with her newly developed STAR-TRILOBE tanks. The propulsion of the ship is generated by a MAN B&W dual fuel 2-stroke engine, which can operate on different fuels including Ethane and LNG.