GRIMSBY, England (April 26, 2011)—ContiTech subsidiary Dunlop Oil & Marine Ltd. has made an agreement with a Dutch company to develop and produce cryogenic hoses for loading tanks with liquefied natural gas.
Dunlop said it concluded an agreement with Bluewater Energy Services B.V. of Amsterdam, to develop and produce the hoses. Bluewater holds key licenses from BHP Billiton for this technology and will be responsible for the development of technology transfer solutions.
LNG is transported and stored at about -160 °C since under these conditions it has just 1/600 of its usual volume. The requirement for the connecting hoses between the floating production unit and the tankers is exceptionally demanding, Dunlop said.
In the future Dunlop will market hoses of up to 24 inches, shortening the loading times substantially and allowing loading to take place using much larger vessels and in more demanding environmental conditions