Korea Line LNG carriers to be equipped with ALS compressors

7 June 2022 – TMC Compressors (TMC) has been awarded a contract to deliver marine air lubrication system (ALS) compressors to two LNG carriers that Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) is building for Korea Line Corp. 

Each of the two LNG carriers will be equipped with HHI’s self-developed Hi-ALS air lubrication system. TMC will supply its frequency-controlled marine compressors for use in combination with HHI’s air lubrication system.

TMC’s equipment will be manufactured in Scandinavia and shipped to Hyundai Heavy Industries in Korea.

ALS – or air lubrication system – is a method used to reduce the resistance between the ship’s hull and seawater by using air bubbles. The air bubble distribution across the hull surface reduces the frictional resistance working on the ship’s hull, creating desired energy-saving effects.

“ALS is a very efficient way of reducing drag, thereby cutting fuel consumption and associated emissions substantially. It is one of many sensible paths towards a greener shipping industry,” says Hans Petter Tanum, TMC’s director of sales and business development.

TMC’s frequency-controlled ALS compressors also offer fuel savings compared to conventional compressors. As the frequency-controlled technology offers precise control of the compressor speed, the speed of the electrical motor will adjust itself according to what is required to produce the exact air volume necessary to meet the actual compressed air consumption at all time. In turn, lower air consumption requires less speed on the compressor and this directly results in less power consumption.

“While the large majority of our ALS compressors have so far been supplied to newbuild vessels, it is worthwhile remembering that ALS can easily be retrofitted to existing vessels too,” adds Hans Petter Tanum.

TMC offers compressors for ALS applications that ranges from 50 kW to 400 kW capacity, plus the associated ALS control system. The company is headquartered in Oslo and is the world’s leading supplier of compressed air systems for marine and offshore use.