바다 위 '배에서 배로' LNG 선적 첫 성공

South Korea's state-run natural gas company has for the first time successfully transferred liquidified natural gas from one ship to another... at sea.
This method is expected to help alleviate congestion at South Korea's LNG terminals... and save time and money.
Park Se-young has more.
This 174-thousand-cubic-meter liquefied natural gas or LNG tank ship is currently undergoing LNG bunkering trials.
LNG bunkering is the process of transferring gas to a ship
The Kogas carrier SM Jeju LNG2 entered the Okpo Shipyard on Geojedo Island in Gyeongsangnam-do Province carrying two-thousand metric tons of LNG.
There, it was connected by hose with Daewoo Shipbuilding and Maritime Engineering's newly built LNG carrier to successfully complete an LNG bunkering test.
"We believe this is a significant first step in creating and making a very successful market for LNG bunkering in the future."
Typically, an LNG carrier has to travel to onshore LNG terminals in Samcheok or Tongyeong, ...which are packed with carriers offloading the gas.
The success of the ship-to-ship bunkering test is expected to alleviate the stress on LNG terminals, ...while saving time and money spent bunkering on-shore.
"Since LNG bunkering can take place in many places at the same time, these carriers will serve as a base for a breakthrough in fuel shipment."
Amid increased global demand for LNG ships, the technology is expected to serve as a model for ship-to-ship bunkering.
Park Se-young, Arirang News.