Partnership class

The Partnership class comprises six state-of-the-art LNG vessels to be delivered by 2019.

 At 173,400 cubic metres, they will be the largest LNG vessels BP Shipping has ever operated. They will play a vital role in BP’s future, supporting the company’s shift to gas. Substantial growth in established markets such as India, China, the US and Australia, coupled with the arrival of new consumer markets, such as Pakistan, Jordan, Egypt and Bangladesh, are significantly boosting demand for LNG.

They have state-of-the-art, tri-fuel, two-stroke, ME-GI engines that utilise boil off gas from cargo tanks as fuel. They achieve a thermal efficiency of around 51.7% making them one of the most efficient marine engines on the market today, reducing CO2, NOX and SOX and particulate emissions when operating in gas mode.

Special features

1. 25% more efficient than the previous DFDE (Dual Fuel Diesel Electric) technology in the BP GEM Class vessels
2. Re-liquefaction capability to return unused boil off back to the cargo tanks saving an estimated 35,000 m3 of LNG over the lifetime of the vessel
3. 12% larger capacity than GEM class
4. 332km of cabling and 668km total welding length per ship
5. 13,600 kW installed power generation -sufficient to power a town with 30,000 average UK houses
6. Capable of a design speed of 20 Knots
7. First tier 3 gas-burning two-stroke engines worldwide

Partnership Class specifications