Lmart to Supply BOG Compressor Packages for Jiangnan Shipyard’s 18,000 TEU Dual-Fuel Container Series

Summary

In June 2026, Suzhou Lmart Energy Equipment Co., Ltd. signed a marine equipment supply contract with Jiangnan Shipyard for BOG compressor packages serving its 18,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel series. The scope covers all twelve vessels in the series.

Each package is delivered as a complete skid — compressor package integration, associated heat exchangers, lube oil system, prefabricated process piping, instrumentation and control panel. The first packages are scheduled for delivery to the yard in 2027, with the remainder released against the yard’s build sequence.

Where the package sits in the fuel chain

The vessels in this series run on LNG as main engine fuel. LNG in the fuel tanks generates boil-off gas (BOG) continuously during storage and transfer. The BOG compressor package raises that gas to pressure and delivers it to the main engine fuel gas supply system, or to the gas combustion unit for disposal.

That position defines how the equipment works. It is not an intermittent auxiliary — it runs while the vessel sails. If the package stops, the fuel tank loses its means of pressure control and gas fuel supply to the main engine is interrupted. For this reason the boil-off gas compressor packages on this series are arranged with redundancy: maintenance or failure of one unit does not interrupt fuel supply to the vessel.

Engineering requirements behind the selection

Class compliance. Marine gas equipment requires class-approved design, material certification, in-process inspection and final survey. These packages must satisfy the rules of more than one classification society, so design documentation and inspection plans are prepared against each applicable rule set.

Cryogenic inlet conditions. BOG can enter the compressor at temperatures down to the order of minus one hundred and forty degrees Celsius. Components in contact with the cold medium differ from ambient-service equipment in material selection, low-temperature toughness, thermal contraction allowance and sealing arrangement. Piping stress is calculated for the cryogenic case.

Shipboard service conditions. Unlike a land-based plant, a marine package is designed for list, trim, hull vibration and salt-laden air. Lube oil level design, equipment supports, anti-vibration arrangement and skid structural strength are verified against vessel motion criteria.

Hazardous area and safety. The package is located in a gas-hazardous space. Electrical equipment protection level, gas detection, pressure relief and emergency shutdown are engineered as a system and submitted for class review.

Space and maintainability. Engine room space is limited. Skid envelope, lifting access, maintenance clearance and spare part removal routes are fixed at the design stage, since they cannot be revised once the vessel is built.

Series delivery. Twelve vessels are built consecutively. Packages are produced per vessel and shipped against each vessel’s required-on-site date, with long-lead bought-out items ordered ahead so that a shortage on one vessel does not disturb the sequence behind it.

Lmart’s scope and execution

Package integration and skid prefabrication. Lmart carries out system integration and complete skid prefabrication for the BOG compressor package. The compressor and drive motor, heat exchangers, lube oil system, process piping, instrumentation and control panel are assembled, piped and wired in the workshop, and the package leaves the works as a finished skid. Skid delivery moves piping connection and equipment alignment off the berth and into the workshop, reducing installation hours and berth time at the yard.

In-house heat exchangers and pressure equipment. Heat exchangers and pressure vessels in the package are manufactured in Lmart’s own workshops. Stainless steel and carbon steel are fabricated in separate workshops to prevent iron contamination — a control that directly affects the surface condition of wetted parts in cryogenic service.

Manufacturing and inspection. Welding follows qualified procedures. Welder qualification, NDE coverage, hydrostatic testing and third-party plus class witness points are executed against the project inspection and test plan. As-built documentation, material certificates and inspection records are delivered with the packages.

Production scheduling. Production is scheduled backwards from the required-on-site dates issued by the yard, with long-lead items purchased against each vessel’s milestone.

Not the first time

This is not Lmart’s first supply to vessels built at Jiangnan Shipyard. BOG compressor packages were previously supplied for the yard’s 14,000 TEU LNG dual-fuel container vessel series, and a separate refrigeration package project at the same yard was also delivered by Lmart.

The 18,000 TEU series continues the same product line on a larger vessel. Moving from 14,000 to 18,000 TEU scales up fuel tank volume, boil-off rate and main engine gas demand, so the package configuration changes — but the design basis, the class submission route and the way delivery is organised are the same.

What the order covers

For the yard, series-build equipment supply is judged on delivery consistency across the programme rather than on a single acceptable unit. Twelve consecutive vessels test whether a supplier can hold the same production rhythm over a period of more than two years.

For Lmart, the order brings two lines of work together in one project: marine equipment built to class rules, and gas compressor package skid production scheduled for a vessel series. It also adds a fuel gas reference on large LNG dual-fuel container vessels.

Lmart provides commissioning attendance and spare parts support after the packages are delivered. Through the execution period, design, manufacturing, inspection and shipment milestones are coordinated with the yard and the classification societies.