The Megara was one of the first ships to be converted for the bulk transport of gas in tanks. However, the Megara was not a pure gas tanker , but a diesel oil tanker converted in 1934 with additional gas tanks for propane and butane .
details
The ship was built in 1928/29 at the Ateliers et Chantiers de la Seine Maritime shipyard in Le Trait for the Petroleum Maatschappij "LaCorona". After the parent company Anglo-Saxon Petroleum had gained initial experience with the diesel oil, sulfuric acid and LPG tanker Agnita , built in 1931 , a similar conversion of the Megara was decided. This was carried out at Werkspoor in Amsterdam, with the gas tanks being built close to the design by Hawthorn, Leslie & Company , the British shipyard of Agnita . The construction of these tanks from thick steel meant a great challenge for the shipyard due to the diverse requirements. The Megara disposal after conversion over 24 riveted cylindrical gas tanks with upper and lower hemispherical terminations that were used in the middle oil tanks of the vessel. 20 gas tanks with a total capacity of 1305 m³ were intended for butane, 4 tanks with a capacity of 160 m³ for propane. In total, the ship was able to transport 780 tons of gas. The classification society gave the ship the class symbol 100A1 Carrying Petroleum in Bulk - Fitted with Cylindrical Tanks , the last passage was occasionally expanded with the addition for the carriage of sulphuric acid . The mention of gas transport was not made public in coordination between the shipping company and Lloyd's Register . For economic reasons, other shipping companies should not receive precise information about the gas tanks. In 1937/38 it was transferred to Anglo-Saxon Petroleum and brought under the British flag. The ship survived World War II and was finally scrapped in Malaga in 1958.
literature
Robin Gray: Bulk liquefied Gas by Sea: The early Years in Society of international Gas Tanker and Terminal Operators Newsletter Supplement , September 2004
John Lamb: Oil Tanker Cargoes: Their safe And Efficient Handling , Charles Griffin & Company, London, 1954
