MV Gastor
Encyclopedia
The MV Gastor and the MV Nestor were two LNG carrier
s built at the French
shipyard Chantiers de l'Atlantique
in St. Nazaire. The two ships are sister-ships.
loch
Loch Striven
as there was no work for them.
A few years after the completion it was discovered that there was a construction error in the insulation
of the huge gas-tanks. These LNG carrier
s store their cargo at near atmospheric pressure
and this requires that the gas is cooled down to the boiling temperature of LNG: −162 °C (−260 °F). The cargo was at this temperature when loaded and then the temperature was maintained on this level using very good isolated tanks and slowly let some of the gas vaporize. Both ships returned to the shipyard for these repairs and then returned to the loch as there was still no work for them.
The tonnage of the ships is 68.122
The building-costs of each ship was approx. € 60 million while they were sold in 1991 for approx.€15 million and came in service around 1993
At the time these ships were the largest ships ever built at the shipyward and they built a special large drydock for this project. After the completion of both ships this drydock was never used again until the yard was commissioned to build the new ocean-liner by Cunard
.
. (Later Nedlloyd and P&O joined forces and formed P&O Nedlloyd
specializing in container ship
ping until this company was sold to A. P. Moller-Maersk Group or Maerks for short).
The construction-number for the yard was 26 and the (current) IMO number
is 7360124
The ship was built to transport LNG from the newly discovered gas-fields in Algeria
to the West-European markets via the Dutch
port of Delfzijl
. Due to economic development at the time and the after effects of the 1973 oil crisis
his project never materialized.
Bermuda and in service for that same company to and from Nigeria
to the United States but suffered the same fate as the Gastor.
The Nestor had yard-number B26 and the IMO number
is 7360136.
project in Nigeria
LNG carrier
An LNG carrier is a tank ship designed for transporting liquefied natural gas . As the LNG market grows rapidly, the fleet of LNG carriers continues to experience tremendous growth.-History:...
s built at the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
shipyard Chantiers de l'Atlantique
Chantiers de l'Atlantique
Chantiers de l'Atlantique is part of the South Korean STX Shipbuilding Group and one of the world's largest shipyards, based in Saint-Nazaire, France...
in St. Nazaire. The two ships are sister-ships.
History
The ships were sister-ships owned by different companies: Nedlloyd and Ocean. They were built in 1976-1977 at the Chantier d'Atlantique shipyard of St. Nazaire. After completion they never came into service and were both laid-up for years in the ScottishScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
loch
Loch
Loch is the Irish and Scottish Gaelic word for a lake or a sea inlet. It has been anglicised as lough, although this is pronounced the same way as loch. Some lochs could also be called a firth, fjord, estuary, strait or bay...
Loch Striven
Loch Striven
Loch Striven is a sea loch adjoining the west side of the Firth of Clyde just north of the Isle of Bute, where it forms a narrow inlet about 8 miles long extending north into the Cowal peninsula. During times of recession in shipping the loch has been used as a sheltered anchorage for laid...
as there was no work for them.
A few years after the completion it was discovered that there was a construction error in the insulation
Thermal insulation
Thermal insulation is the reduction of the effects of the various processes of heat transfer between objects in thermal contact or in range of radiative influence. Heat transfer is the transfer of thermal energy between objects of differing temperature...
of the huge gas-tanks. These LNG carrier
LNG carrier
An LNG carrier is a tank ship designed for transporting liquefied natural gas . As the LNG market grows rapidly, the fleet of LNG carriers continues to experience tremendous growth.-History:...
s store their cargo at near atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure is the force per unit area exerted into a surface by the weight of air above that surface in the atmosphere of Earth . In most circumstances atmospheric pressure is closely approximated by the hydrostatic pressure caused by the weight of air above the measurement point...
and this requires that the gas is cooled down to the boiling temperature of LNG: −162 °C (−260 °F). The cargo was at this temperature when loaded and then the temperature was maintained on this level using very good isolated tanks and slowly let some of the gas vaporize. Both ships returned to the shipyard for these repairs and then returned to the loch as there was still no work for them.
The tonnage of the ships is 68.122
The building-costs of each ship was approx. € 60 million while they were sold in 1991 for approx.€15 million and came in service around 1993
At the time these ships were the largest ships ever built at the shipyward and they built a special large drydock for this project. After the completion of both ships this drydock was never used again until the yard was commissioned to build the new ocean-liner by Cunard
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
.
Gastor
The Gastor was built for the Dutch company Nederlandse Scheepvaart Unie, part of the shipping-company NedlloydNedlloyd
Nedlloyd was a Dutch shipping company, formed in 1970 as the Nederlandsche Scheepvaart Unie in a merger of several shipping lines:*Stoomvaart Maatschappij Nederland *Koninklijke Rotterdamsche Lloyd...
. (Later Nedlloyd and P&O joined forces and formed P&O Nedlloyd
P&O Nedlloyd
P&O Nedlloyd Container Line Limited was an Anglo-Dutch worldwide ocean-going container shipping line, with dual headquarters in London and Rotterdam. The company was formed in 1997 by the merger of the container-shipping interests of the leading Dutch transportation company Royal Nedlloyd and the...
specializing in container ship
Container ship
Container ships are cargo ships that carry all of their load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. They form a common means of commercial intermodal freight transport.-History:...
ping until this company was sold to A. P. Moller-Maersk Group or Maerks for short).
The construction-number for the yard was 26 and the (current) IMO number
IMO ship identification number
The IMO ship identification number is made of the three letters "IMO" followed by the seven-digit number assigned to all ships by IHS Fairplay when constructed. This is a unique seven digit number that is assigned to propelled, sea-going merchant ships of 100 GT and above...
is 7360124
The ship was built to transport LNG from the newly discovered gas-fields in Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
to the West-European markets via the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
port of Delfzijl
Delfzijl
Delfzijl is a municipality and city in the northeast of the Netherlands. It is situated on the left bank of the river Ems estuary, which forms the border with Germany.-Population centres:...
. Due to economic development at the time and the after effects of the 1973 oil crisis
1973 oil crisis
The 1973 oil crisis started in October 1973, when the members of Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries or the OAPEC proclaimed an oil embargo. This was "in response to the U.S. decision to re-supply the Israeli military" during the Yom Kippur war. It lasted until March 1974. With the...
his project never materialized.
LNG Lagos
In 1993 the Gastor was sold and renamed to LNG Lagos and finally enetered service. The new owner is Bonny Gas Transport - ShellRoyal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
Bermuda and in service for that same company to and from Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
Nestor
The Nestor was commissioned by shipping-company Ocean Group from Liverpool. This ship was built to transport gas from IndonesiaIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
to the United States but suffered the same fate as the Gastor.
The Nestor had yard-number B26 and the IMO number
IMO ship identification number
The IMO ship identification number is made of the three letters "IMO" followed by the seven-digit number assigned to all ships by IHS Fairplay when constructed. This is a unique seven digit number that is assigned to propelled, sea-going merchant ships of 100 GT and above...
is 7360136.
LNG Port Harcourt
Just like the Gastor the Nestor was also sold to Shell Bermuda/Bonny Gas Transport and was renamed to LNG Port Harcourt. The LNG Port Harcourt is also used for the Shell NigeriaShell Nigeria
Shell Nigeria is the colloquial name for Royal Dutch Shell's Nigerian operations carried out through four subsidiaries—primarily through Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited...
project in Nigeria