Complete FGSS Skid Packages for TGE Marine Gas Engineering: 8 Skid Types Across 3 Shipyards — From CIP Units to Full LNG Fuel Gas Systems for Dual-Fuel PCTC

Over a five-year partnership (2018–2023), Lmart manufactured a progressively expanding range of modular skid packages for TGE Marine Gas Engineering — beginning with a single CIP unit for a Japanese newbuild, scaling through TCS skids for IMABARI Shipbuilding, and culminating in a complete 8-type FGSS skid package for China Merchants Heavy Industry’s series of eight LNG dual-fuel Pure Car Truck Carriers (PCTC). All units carry DNV or NK classification approval.

Customer	TGE Marine Gas Engineering GmbH (Bonn, Germany)
Industry	Marine gas engineering — cargo handling systems & fuel gas supply systems for gas carriers and dual-fuel vessels
Shipyards Served	Sasaki Shipbuilding (Japan), IMABARI Shipbuilding (Japan), China Merchants Heavy Industry — CMHI (China)
Equipment	CIP Units, TCS Skids, Recondensation Package, LP Fuel Gas Vaporization System, LNG Bunkering Skids (PS/SB), WG Pump Skids (LT/HT), WG Heating Cooling Skids (LT/HT)
Total Scope (CMHI)	8 skid types × 8 hulls (CMHI-269-1 through CMHI-269-8) = up to 64 units
Classification	DNV (CMHI project), NK (Sasaki & IMABARI projects)
Vessel Type	Dual-Fuel (LNG) Pure Car Truck Carrier (PCTC)
Timeline	2018–2023 (3 project phases)

Customer Background and Industry Context

TGE Marine Gas Engineering GmbH, headquartered in Bonn, Germany, is a specialist engineering company focused on cargo handling systems and fuel gas supply systems (FGSS) for LNG carriers, LPG carriers, ethylene carriers, and dual-fuel vessels. TGE Marine designs the complete gas handling architecture — from cargo tank systems through reliquefaction plants to fuel gas conditioning — and sources the modular skid packages that form the physical backbone of these systems from qualified fabricators worldwide.

The relationship between a gas system integrator like TGE and its skid fabricator is fundamentally different from a standard equipment procurement. Each skid is a pre-assembled, pre-tested functional module containing pressure vessels, heat exchangers, pumps, valves, piping, instrumentation, and structural steelwork — all integrated on a single base frame that must fit within defined ship compartment envelopes. Dimensional accuracy, piping alignment, and interface compatibility are non-negotiable: a skid that arrives at the shipyard out of tolerance by even a few millimeters can delay an entire hull’s outfitting schedule.

The Pure Car Truck Carrier (PCTC) segment is one of the fastest-growing applications for LNG dual-fuel propulsion. Major automotive logistics operators — including companies like Wallenius Wilhelmsen, Höegh Autoliners, and SIEM Car Carriers — are ordering LNG-fueled PCTCs to meet IMO 2030 and 2050 decarbonization targets. China Merchants Heavy Industry (CMHI) in Jiangsu has emerged as a leading PCTC builder, with an order book spanning multiple series of 7,000–9,000 CEU dual-fuel vessels. TGE Marine provides the FGSS for these ships, and Lmart manufactures the skid packages.

Challenges and Engineering Pain Points

Multi-Skid Integration for a Complete FGSS

The CMHI PCTC project requires eight distinct skid types per hull, each performing a different function within the LNG fuel gas supply chain. The Recondensation Package handles boil-off gas (BOG) management. The LP Fuel Gas Vaporization System converts liquid LNG to gas-phase fuel at the pressure required by the dual-fuel engines. Port and starboard LNG Bunkering Skids manage the fuel transfer interface during bunkering operations. Low-temperature and high-temperature water-glycol (WG) pump and heating/cooling skids provide the thermal management circuits that control LNG vaporization rates and prevent ice formation on exposed piping. Each skid must interface mechanically, electrically, and in terms of process flow with every other skid in the system — meaning that fabrication tolerances, nozzle orientations, and pipe connection positions must be coordinated across all eight types simultaneously.

Cryogenic and Low-Temperature Service Requirements

LNG fuel systems operate across an extreme temperature range. The bunkering skids and recondensation package handle LNG at approximately −162 °C, requiring cryogenic-grade materials (typically 304L or 316L austenitic stainless steel, or in some cases 9% nickel steel) with guaranteed Charpy impact properties at design minimum temperature. Piping joints, valve connections, and instrument penetrations must all maintain leak-tight integrity through thermal cycling between ambient temperature during idle periods and cryogenic temperatures during LNG flow. The water-glycol circuits, by contrast, operate at moderate temperatures but must prevent freezing in the low-temperature loop — requiring precise glycol concentration control and heat exchanger sizing.

Classification Society Compliance Across Multiple Flags

The three project phases span two classification societies: NK (Nippon Kaiji Kyokai) for the Japanese shipyard projects and DNV (Det Norske Veritas) for the CMHI series. While the underlying engineering principles are the same, each classification society has distinct requirements for material certification, welding procedure qualification, non-destructive examination scope, and pressure testing protocols. Lmart’s quality system must maintain parallel compliance tracks — NK-approved WPS/PQR packages for the Japanese hulls and DNV-approved packages for the Chinese hulls — with class surveyor witness points scheduled at each society’s required hold and witness stages.

Series Production Consistency Across 8 Hulls

The CMHI order covers eight identical hulls (CMHI-269-1 through CMHI-269-8), meaning each of the eight skid types must be replicated with identical dimensions, identical piping layouts, and identical performance characteristics across all hulls. Series production demands fixture-based fabrication, standardized welding sequences, and rigorous first-article inspection to establish baseline dimensions that all subsequent units must match. Any deviation discovered at hull 5 that traces back to a systematic fabrication error could require rework on all previously delivered units — making process discipline and dimensional control in early production critical.

Compact Envelope Constraints on PCTC Vessels

PCTCs are designed to maximize vehicle deck area. The machinery spaces, fuel system compartments, and pipe trunk areas are tightly constrained, leaving minimal clearance around installed skids for maintenance access, cable routing, and piping connections. Each skid’s external dimensions, lifting lug positions, and connection point locations must conform exactly to the 3D model provided by TGE — there is no room for field modification at the shipyard. This drives strict dimensional control during fabrication, with 3D laser scanning verification on completed skids before shipment.

Why TGE Marine Selected Lmart

Proven track record through progressive scope expansion. TGE did not award the full FGSS package to Lmart on day one. The relationship began in 2018 with a single CIP unit for Sasaki Shipbuilding — a relatively simple skid that served as a qualification order. When that unit met TGE’s quality and delivery expectations, the scope expanded to TCS skids for IMABARI in 2019. The successful execution of both Japanese shipyard projects established the trust required for TGE to award the complete 8-type FGSS skid package for the CMHI PCTC series — a dramatically larger and more complex scope.

Multi-classification capability. Lmart holds manufacturing approvals from six major classification societies, including both NK and DNV — the two societies involved in TGE’s projects. This eliminated the need for TGE to qualify separate fabricators for Japanese-flag and Chinese-flag builds, simplifying their supply chain management and enabling consistent quality standards across all three shipyard programs.

Modular skid fabrication infrastructure. Complete FGSS skids require capabilities beyond traditional pressure vessel fabrication: structural steelwork for base frames, piping prefabrication and installation, instrument mounting and tubing, electrical cable tray installation, and integrated pressure/leak testing of the assembled module. Lmart’s workshop is configured for this type of multi-discipline assembly, with floor space, crane capacity, and test facilities sized for skid packages in the dimensional range required for marine FGSS applications.

Proximity to CMHI Jiangsu. China Merchants Heavy Industry’s Jiangsu shipyard is located in the Yangtze River Delta region, within practical trucking distance of Lmart’s Zhangjiagang manufacturing campus. For a series of eight hulls, each receiving eight skid packages, the logistics advantage of short-distance delivery is substantial — reducing transport cost, transit damage risk, and delivery scheduling complexity compared to sourcing from more distant fabricators.

Engineering and Manufacturing Solution

The project scope evolved across three distinct phases, each building on the engineering and manufacturing processes established in the previous phase.

Phase 1 (2018): CIP Unit for Sasaki Shipbuilding Hull 704

The initial order comprised a single Clean-In-Place (CIP) unit — a skid-mounted system used to flush and clean LNG cargo tank internals. The CIP unit includes a tank, circulation pump, heating element, piping manifold, and instrumentation, all mounted on a welded steel base frame. NK classification survey was conducted at Lmart’s workshop, covering material certification, welding procedure qualification, pressure testing, and dimensional verification of the completed skid assembly.

Phase 2 (2019): TCS Skids for IMABARI Shipbuilding Hull S-F035

Two Tank Connection Space (TCS) skid modules for an IMABARI Shipbuilding hull, again under NK classification. TCS skids are installed in the connection space between the cargo/fuel tank and the ship’s piping system, housing the critical valves, instruments, and piping connections that manage tank pressure, liquid transfer, and safety relief functions. These skids demanded tighter dimensional tolerances than the CIP unit, as they must interface directly with the tank dome arrangement and the ship’s integrated piping layout.

Phase 3 (2023): Complete FGSS Package for CMHI-269 Series PCTC

The flagship project — eight distinct skid types for a series of eight LNG dual-fuel PCTCs being built at China Merchants Heavy Industry in Jiangsu. Each hull receives:

• Recondensation Package (1 unit) — manages boil-off gas from the LNG fuel tank by re-condensing it back to liquid phase, maintaining tank pressure within design limits and recovering fuel that would otherwise be vented or consumed in the gas combustion unit (GCU).
• LP Fuel Gas Vaporization System (1 unit) — converts liquid LNG to gas-phase fuel at the low pressure required by the dual-fuel engines. The vaporizer uses a water-glycol heating medium to supply the latent heat of vaporization, with precise temperature control to deliver fuel gas within the engine manufacturer’s specified superheat range.
• LNG Bunkering Skid — Port Side (1 unit) — the manifold and valve assembly through which LNG fuel is loaded from bunker barges or shore terminals on the port side. Includes emergency shutdown (ESD) valves, flow metering, gas detection, and drip tray with drainage to the ship’s slop system.
• LNG Bunkering Skid — Starboard Side (1 unit) — mirror-image configuration of the port-side bunkering skid, providing redundant bunkering capability from either side of the vessel.
• LT Water-Glycol Pump Skid (1 unit) — circulates the low-temperature water-glycol mixture through the vaporizer and recondensation circuits. The LT loop operates at temperatures approaching −30 °C, requiring appropriate glycol concentration (typically 50–60% ethylene glycol) and pump materials rated for sub-zero service.
• LT Water-Glycol Heating/Cooling Skid (1 unit) — controls the temperature of the LT glycol loop using heat exchangers connected to the ship’s central cooling water system and/or steam heating system. Temperature regulation in this loop directly affects LNG vaporization rate and, consequently, engine fuel gas supply pressure.
• HT Water-Glycol Pump Skid (1 unit) — circulates the high-temperature water-glycol mixture used for ancillary heating duties within the FGSS — including trace heating on exposed piping, valve actuator heating in cold weather, and pre-heating of bunkering connections before LNG transfer.
• HT Water-Glycol Heating/Cooling Skid (1 unit) — manages the thermal conditioning of the HT glycol loop, maintaining the elevated temperatures required for effective trace heating and frost prevention throughout the fuel system.

Complete Project Reference

Phase	Year	Equipment	Qty	Class	Shipyard / Hull
1	2018	CIP Unit	1	NK	Sasaki Shipbuilding, Hull 704
2	2019	TCS Skid	2	NK	IMABARI Shipbuilding, Hull S-F035
3	2023	Recondensation Package	1×8	DNV	CMHI Jiangsu, Hull CMHI-269-1~8 (LNG Dual-Fuel PCTC)
		LP Fuel Gas Vaporization System	1×8
		LNG Bunkering Skid (PS)	1×8
		LNG Bunkering Skid (SB)	1×8
		LT WG Pump Skid	1×8
		LT WG Heating/Cooling Skid	1×8
		HT WG Pump Skid	1×8
		HT WG Heating/Cooling Skid	1×8

Project Execution, Quality Control, and Delivery

The CMHI PCTC series demanded a production management approach fundamentally different from one-off equipment orders. With eight hulls receiving identical skid sets, Lmart established a series production workflow with the following key elements:

• First-article inspection (FAI) on the lead set of each skid type — complete dimensional survey, piping alignment verification, and functional test to establish baseline acceptance criteria for all subsequent units
• Fixture-based fabrication for base frames and piping subassemblies, ensuring dimensional repeatability across the 8-hull production run
• Incoming material verification: mill certificates for all pressure-retaining materials cross-checked against DNV-approved material specifications, with PMI spot checks on stainless steel and low-temperature carbon steel components
• Welding procedure qualification per DNV rules, with separate WPS/PQR packages for cryogenic-service joints (304L/316L) and structural steelwork (carbon steel base frames)
• Non-destructive examination: 100% radiographic or ultrasonic examination on all pressure-retaining butt welds; magnetic particle or dye penetrant inspection on fillet welds and structural welds per DNV survey plan
• Hydrostatic pressure test on all pressure-containing components and circuits within each skid, witnessed by DNV surveyor
• Pneumatic leak test on completed piping systems at 1.1× design pressure with soap-bubble or electronic leak detection
• Dimensional verification of completed skid assemblies against TGE’s 3D model — confirming overall envelope dimensions, nozzle connection positions, lifting lug locations, and foundation bolt patterns
• Surface treatment and preservation: blasting and coating of carbon steel base frames and structural components per TGE’s marine coating specification; passivation of stainless steel piping and components

Completed skid packages were delivered to CMHI’s Jiangsu shipyard by road transport, with delivery sequenced to match each hull’s outfitting schedule. Pre-delivery coordination with TGE’s site supervision team ensured that skids arrived at the shipyard ready for immediate installation without interim storage delays.

Results and Business Impact

The five-year progression from a single CIP unit to a complete FGSS package for an 8-hull series demonstrates a textbook supplier development trajectory. TGE Marine systematically expanded Lmart’s scope — from auxiliary equipment (CIP) to process-critical modules (TCS) to the full fuel gas supply system — with each phase serving as both a production order and a capability qualification for the next.

The CMHI PCTC project positions Lmart as a proven FGSS skid fabricator for the fastest-growing segment in commercial shipping. LNG dual-fuel PCTCs are being ordered in large series by major vehicle logistics operators worldwide, and the combination of TGE’s gas system design authority with Lmart’s skid fabrication capability provides a competitive supply chain for future PCTC programs at CMHI and other Chinese shipyards.

For Lmart, the TGE relationship demonstrates capabilities that extend well beyond traditional pressure vessel manufacturing: multi-discipline skid assembly, series production management, cryogenic material handling, and classification society compliance across multiple flags. These capabilities are directly transferable to other marine FGSS integrators (Wärtsilä, Alfa Laval, Hamworthy) and to the broader LNG infrastructure market including onshore LNG bunkering facilities and small-scale LNG terminals.

Customer Voice

TGE Marine Gas Engineering expanded Lmart’s scope from a single auxiliary skid in 2018 to the complete fuel gas supply system for an 8-hull PCTC series in 2023 — a progression that required consistent quality performance, on-time delivery, and demonstrated capability growth across three shipyard programs and two classification societies.

“Dimensional accuracy on the skid assemblies was critical — every unit had to drop into the ship compartment without field modification. The production consistency across the series met our requirements.”

— TGE Marine project coordination team (paraphrased from project review)

Note: Lmart respects client confidentiality. Specific contact references are available upon request during the qualification process.