LNG for cruise: the design implications

The most fundamental design constraint the report addresses is one naval architects have grappled with since the first LNG-fuelled cruise vessels entered service: volumetric penalty. LNG requires three to four times the storage volume of marine diesel oil for equivalent energy content, with storage temperatures held at approximately -162°C in atmospheric tanks.

The implications for hull form, internal arrangement, stability and cargo or passenger capacity are substantial. The fuel gas supply system, designed to handle cryogenic, low-flashpoint fuel and manage boil-off gas, represents a further layer of complexity that must be resolved at concept stage rather than retrofitted.

Propulsion system selection carries consequences that extend well beyond