Kikapu wrote:supporttheunderdog wrote:Kikapu wrote:The other way to transport the Gas from Cyprus to the EU, would be to fill durable bags the size of football fields with as much gas as possible, have about 10-20 of these bags connected to each other like train cars which would be about a mile long, either bouncing along on the sea surface or flying like many kites, and have one tugboat pull it to any seaport in the EU. You will need thousands of these bags and hundreds of tugboats, which the tugboats could be made to run on NG and using gas from one of the bags to supply it's need. This will be easier and cheaper to send the gas to any market it wants it directly without having to pay a toll charge to whichever country the gas will transit through until it gets to its final destination. No need for expensive pipes under the sea or expensive LPG plant in Cyprus. To those countries that are landlocked like Switzerland, then we will get ours from Italy, the closest seaport to us and just pay one toll charge to the Italians, rather than pay several countries if it comes from Turkey for example!
Hmm - not exactly very safe.
Why isn't it safe.?
supporttheunderdog wrote:windage for start:wind can be bad enough on ships to affect their steering: Large light objects floating either in the air or rather on the water (natural gas is denser then air) will be blown about by the slightest breeze: anything like a decent force 4 and the wind pressure will be massive, causing extreme problems for the towing vessel. ltiply the problems, many fold.
Bearing in mind the masses involved one will need a lot of towing power.
If a storm brews up, then the tugboat can throw a large anchor overboard with the the Gas bags attached to it to take of the load off the tugboat until the storm clears up. Tugboats can tow heavy ships and barges in all kinds of conditions, therefore, it shouldn't be problem towing relatively light Gas bags in Force 4 winds or higher.
supporttheunderdog wrote:That is without the Hindenburg factor. In its liquid form the gas is a lot safer.
No need for a Hindenburg factor, unless hit by a lightning, and even then, it will only effect the Gas bag hit by it and not the rest.
supporttheunderdog wrote:I suspect it really is cheaper/safer to compress and/or liquify the gas and put the same mass in a smaller volumeon easier controllable ship than try to tow large and pretty uncontrolable ballons about the sea.
Except ships are expensive to build and operate, not to mention turning Gas into liquid form, which would require electricity and expensive plant for the conversion, storage and transportation. The Gas bags can be filed and set on their way directly from the platforms at sea.
Besides, I want to be one of those Tugboat "drivers"!
I think it's rubbish. 
