32.2.1 Mission

Natural gas, like oil, is produced from gas fields that are often far from the consuming customer. While pipelines, both on land and in the sea, can deliver the gas in gaseous form, over relatively short distances, another means to transport the gas in larger quantities over longer distance is required. The most effective and practical way to transport gas between continents is in liquid form by ships. Ships have been designed and built to transport liquefied gases since the 1920s. This is the mission of LPG and LNG ships, that is, the mission of Liquid Gas Carriers is to safely transport liquefied gases from source to customer, over the oceans of the world. The gases are liquefied, by subjecting them to pressure and/or low temperature. As such liquid gas carriers are only a part, but an important part, of the gas production, delivery and use chain. They may also only represent a relatively small...