Norway’s TMC Compressors Secures Contracts for Marine Compressed Air Systems

Norway-based TMC Compressors has been selected to deliver the marine compressed air system for 12 liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and one floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit.

Under the first contract, TMC is set to deliver a complete marine compressed air system consisting of control and service air compressors for 12 vessels South Korea’s Hanwha Ocean is building for an undisclosed shipping major. The newbuilds will boast a 174,000 cubic-meter capacity.

Hans Petter Tanum, TMC’s Director of Sales and Business Development, remarked: “This is a large contract with an impressive shipbuilder that we have collaborated with on hundreds of similar 174k vessels over the past few decades. We look forward to supporting Hanwha Ocean on these 12 vessels too.”

The Norwegian firm says its marine compressed air systems are designed so that the vessel crew can easily maintain themselves while at sea. This will also be the case for the deliveries to Hanwha Ocean.

“It is too expensive for a vessel to go to port or send a technical offshore when you need to maintain a compressor. That is why we design them with ease of maintenance in mind, in addition to energy efficiency of course,” noted Tanum.

Hanwha Ocean previously picked TMC to provide compressors for three liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers it was building for an undisclosed Asian shipowner in July 2024.

Earlier this year, Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) tapped the Norwegian firm to supply a marine compressed air system for 15 vessels.

Additionally, China Merchant Heavy Industries (CMHI) hired TMC to deliver a marine compressed air system to a hull for a Fast4Ward FPSO the Chinese yard is building for SBM Offshore.

While TMC has not disclosed the value of the contract, it has stated that the scope of supply entails a large-capacity marine compressed air system, including compressors and air dryers for control and service air on board the FPSO hull.

“We have delivered multiple marine compressed air systems to CMHI and SBM Offshore in the past. They are pushing boundaries in terms of cost-efficient fabrication of FPSO hulls and being part of this effort helps to improve the entire supply chain, including us at TMC,”  explained TMC Director of Sales.

The delivery is a repeat of a similar contract signed between CMHI and TMC in the autumn of 2023.