Model, LNG Carrier <I>Methane Shirley Elisabeth</I>
date: label: Date made
content: 2006
name: label: maker
content: Samsung
notes: label: Description
content: Liquid natural gas (LNG) is composed mostly of methane (80–99%). For shipping, it is chilled to -260°F, at which point it is condensed into a liquid 1/600 of its original volume. It is transported globally in this form aboard ships with insulated containers that offload it at special terminals.
label: Description
content: LNG tankers have been around the United States since 1959, when the first cargo was exported from Lake Charles, Louisiana, to England. There are around 200 LNG tankers in service in 2007, and nearly that many more are on order at specialized shipyards to meet the globe’s growing demand for this source of energy.
label: Description
content: LNG tankers have completed more than 40,000 voyages without serious incident; they have the best safety record of any category of commercial shipping. However, they are among the world’s most expensive and difficult ships to build.
label: Description
content: <I>Methane Shirley Elisabeth</I> is one of the newest types of LNG tankers, having been delivered to its owners in March 2007. Its double hulls, separated by six feet of seawater, protect the four gas tanks, which are refrigerated and insulated to maintain the -260°F temperature. The tanks, or membranes, consist of layers of stainless steel and other materials alternating with thick foam insulation. The insides of the membranes are lined with stainless steel, corrugated in two dimensions to prevent the frozen gas from sloshing around inside.
topic: label: Subject
content: Fishing
label: related event
content: Contemporary United States
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
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content: Energy & Power
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content: Engineering, Building, and Architecture
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content: Transportation
label: Exhibition
content: On the Water
label: Exhibition Location
content: National Museum of American History
publisher: label: Related Publication
content: National Museum of American History. On the Water exhibition website
label: Related Web Publication
content: http://americanhistory.si.edu/onthewater
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of BG Group
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2007.0205.01
label: accession number
content: 2007.0205
label: catalog number
content: 2007.0205.01
objectType: label: Object Name
content: ship model, liquefied natural gas tanker
label: Object Name
content: ship model, tanker, LNG
label: Object Name
content: model, liquefied natural gas tanker
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: paint (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: glass (case material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (case material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 15 in x 74 1/2 in x 12 in; 38.1 cm x 189.23 cm x 30.48 cm