Qatargas Operating Company Limited (Qatargas) has succeeded in utilizing boil-off gas to operate its liquified natural gas (LNG) vessels during unloading operations at Japanese LNG terminals, according to a statement.

Al Jasra was the first LNG vessel to conduct this kind of operation while unloading at the Niigata LNG Terminal in October 2019.

According to the statement, LNG tankers are designed to carry natural gas in liquid form at a temperature of – 163°C, close to the vaporization temperature. This natural evaporation, known as boil-off, is unavoidable and has to be removed from the tanks in order to maintain the cargo tank pressure.

With this technique, Qatargas contributes to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) effects and other harmful emissions during the unloading operation.