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METHANE PIONNER
The world's first LNG
tanker
Methane Pioneer was
built in 1945 as a cargo ship type C1 for the United
States Maritime Commission. The dry cargo vessel was converted
into a gas tanker in 1958 in Mobile, Alabama. The
work included deepening the hull by 12 feet and
installing five special aluminum tanks insulated by
balsa wood with an outer jacket of steel with
associated piping, pumps and valves.
The $11-million project was under the auspices of the Constock
Liquid Methane Corp., an American company, and the
British Gas Council.
After three months of sea trials, the 339-foot-long
ship of 5,058 gross tons sailed with the world's
first ocean cargo of LNG on Jan. 25, 1959. Methane
Pioneer carried 2,000 tons of liquefied natural gas, more
than enough to supply the average needs of 1,000
homes for one year. She reached her
destination at Canvey Island in England on 20
February, taking 27 days to cross the Atlantic
Ocean.
When methane gas was liquefied at minus 258 degrees
F, it occupies less than six-hundredths of its
gaseous volume. However, at this temperature, steel
becomes brittle. In order to enable safe
transportation of the volatile cargo, the storage
holds were built of aluminum. Due to the hazardous
nature of the cargo, newspapers reported the event
as “the first of its kind to ATTEMPT the hazardous
task of carrying liquefied gas across the
Atlantic.” Even after the successful discharge, the
president of the company said, “There are a lot of
things that have to be checked and evaluated.”
After seven successful trips, the results were
analyzed, and the $11 million gamble proved to be a
success. Methane Pioneer led to the start of a new
era in maritime operations with the commissioning of
a couple more such carrier ships. Both these
vessels, the Methane Princess and the Methane
Progress, were quite famous in their own right.
Methane Pioneer was later renamed Aristotle and
operated by Stephenson Clarke Shipping, making 30
voyages between 1959 and 1972. She was scrapped in
1972.
This model of the historic LNG tanker Methane
Pioneer is
primarily wood (the pipes and railings are metal.)
It is
33" long (1/144 scale). Will be completed in
spring 2024. Please email us for price and
reservation.
Learn more about the
Methane Pioneer here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methane_Pioneer
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