"The demand and hence need for transport of LNG is a rapidly growing market from which we aim to profit from in the future," said Dr. A.R. Kambiez Zandiyeh, General Manager of Dunlop Oil & Marine, at the signing of the agreement in Hanover. "Many countries are converting their power stations from coal to climate-friendly LNG. Demand for LNG is rising in particular in Asia." Japan and South Korea are the largest importers of LNG. By 2015, 370 million tonnes of LNG are to be traded annually worldwide. "With ContiTech we have found an experienced partner with sophisticated technical know-how in the marine sector," said Hugo Heerema, president of Bluewater Energy Services BV, at the signing of the agreement.
LNG is transported and stored at about -160°C since under these conditions it has just 1/600 of its usual volume. Accordingly, the requirement for the connecting hoses between the floating production unit (FPU) and the tankers is exceptionally demanding. The LNG hose must not only remain flexible at temperatures below the freezing point, they must also withstand pressures of up to 20 bar. Hoses primarily with 8-inch diameter have been used up to now in side by side applications and in environmentally calm conditions. In the future ContiTech will market hoses of up to 24 inches, thus shortening the loading times substantially and allowing loading to take place using much larger vessels and in more demanding environmental conditions.
ContiTech is number one worldwide when it comes to marine and oil production hoses. The company develops and manufactures hoses, hose line systems and complete conveyor belt systems for various applications in the oil and marine industry. These may include, for example, products for extracting and transferring raw materials like oil or dredged materials and for onshore port applications.