The case of the Paul Kayser LNG ship running aground on reefs

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In 1979, the LNG carrier Paul Kayser collided with submerged rocks while sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar due to negligence, resulting in a crack 750 feet long on the ship. At the time, the ship was carrying 125,000 cubic meters of LNG; the collision caused the ship’s double-wall membrane liquid cargo tanks to deform by 1 meter inward, but fortunately no LNG leakage occurred. After the LNG was transferred, the ship was towed to a shipyard for repairs and then put back into use. This LNG accident also indirectly demonstrated the flexibility and reliability of the ship’s LNG cryogenic membrane enclosure system. LNG infrastructure has been in operation for nearly a century, and during this time there have been only a few operational accidents, most of which were caused by human error, indicating that LNG is very safe during storage, transportation, and use.