Manufacturer sets sail with major South Korean deal
SHEFFIELD’S Parker Bestobell Marine, a leading supplier cryogenic valves, has won a major $5m contract to supply nine vessels, making it the single biggest order for the company to date.
The contract is with DSME (Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering) in South Korea to supply cryogenic globe and the vessels are part of a series of 15 liquid natural gas (LNG) carriers destined for the Yamal gas field in Russian Siberia.
Parker Bestobell Marine has already secured orders for the other six vessels.
The order marks a milestone in the company’s history that has seen a tenfold increase in sales over the past five years in the marine sector and its market share rise from less than 10% to over 30% over the same period.
Duncan Gaskin, market development manager at Parker Bestobell Marine, said: “The fact that our valves have been specified for such a large and prestigious project is testament to the quality of manufacture and design, as well as the long term, reliable performance in the field. As these valves will have to operate in extreme environments, we will be taking some innovative steps to modify the design of the valves to suit the conditions.
“DSME put their faith in Parker Bestobell Marine when they first specified our valves for vessels on the Yamal project three years ago and this new contract now means we will enjoy a five-year ongoing relationship with the company.”
The ships are designed specifically for the LNG Yamal project in Russian Siberia. The 15 Arc7 ice-class gas carriers will operate in Arctic conditions, with temperatures as low as -54°C. They will be required to independently navigate ice more than two metres thick in a region that is ice-bound for up to nine months of the year.
Here, more than 200 wells will be drilled to extract LNG, which offers an annual capacity of 5.5m tonnes, in the largest and most complex project of its type.
Each of the 15 icebreaker vessels has a capacity of 170,000 cubic metres and will ship LNG to the international markets.
