LNG bunkering - how critical it is to look after your QCDCs

Operators and vessel crews complete many risk assessments and checklists before a LNG bunkering can take place. This can all be in vain if the vessels (discharging & receiving) do not look after their critical STS equipment. The SGMF issued ‘SAFETY NOTICE FSN 19-02’ which highlighted operational issues with the QCDCs. When assessing this element there should be the following considerations:

• Do both vessels follow the same ISO standard for QCDCs? (there are 2)

• Is the receiving vessel presentation manifold the correct size?

• What are the allowable forces on my QCDC and does my receiving client adequately support it within these parameters?

• Are the receiving element (male coupler) and hose element (female coupler) the same manufacturer?

• Has pressure testing been completed?

Once these fundamental questions have been answered you are still not out of the woods yet. The cryogenic QCDCs must be treated with care and attention as the seals and mechanisms MUST be completely clean of contaminants AND dry. This level of consistency takes effort and robust procedures to achieve, but the alternatives are potential delays and issues during LNG bunkering which can lead to negative commercial and reputational impacts. Please contact us if you have any questions in this regard gw@cryosafe.co.uk