Gaztransport & Technigaz
Professional services
UnclaimedGaztransport & Technigaz, trading as the GTT Group, is a French naval engineering company specializing in membrane containment systems for liquefied gases.
Last updated October 14, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile yet.
Overview
Gaztransport & Technigaz, commonly known as GTT or the GTT Group, is a French multinational engineering company headquartered in Saint-Rémy-lès-Chevreuse. Its principal business is the design, development, licensing and technical support of membrane containment systems used to transport and store liquefied gases, particularly liquefied natural gas (LNG). The company’s systems form cryogenic barriers inside ships and other storage structures, separating cargo held at extremely low temperatures from the vessel’s hull while limiting evaporation and supporting the mechanical and thermal requirements of marine transport. The present company was created in 1994 through the merger of two historically competing technology businesses: Gaztransport and Technigaz. Their origins lie in the expansion of seaborne LNG transportation during the 1960s. European energy companies were seeking alternatives to pipeline transportation for gas from North Africa, and the development of LNG carriers created demand for specialized cryogenic containment technologies. Technigaz emerged in 1963 as a subsidiary created by Gazocean, which was jointly owned by Gaz de France and NYK Line. It filed a patent in 1964 for wall panels for membrane tanks; the resulting technology contributed to the Mark I containment system and was used in a series of LNG carriers built during the following decade. Gaztransport was founded on 10 January 1966. Its technology was selected for LNG carriers ordered for the Japan gas trade by Phillips Petroleum and Marathon Oil. The resulting vessels, including Polar Alaska and Arctic Tokyo, used Gaztransport’s NO containment systems and entered service in the late 1960s. Between 1969 and 1978, ten LNG carriers were built with Gaztransport NO technology, while Technigaz Mark systems were used in twelve carriers between 1968 and 1979. The two technological lineages were brought together when Gaztransport, Technigaz and Technigaz Shipping were combined in 1994. GTT’s commercial model is centered on proprietary technology, engineering expertise and relationships with shipowners, shipyards and energy companies. It is described as the sole supplier of maritime LNG containment tanks, giving its membrane systems a strategically important position in LNG-carrier construction. Its best-known technology families include Mark III and NO96. Mark III uses a primary metallic membrane installed over prefabricated insulation panels incorporating a secondary membrane. NO96 uses two metallic membranes and two independent insulation layers, with the containment liner directly supported by the ship’s inner hull. The NO96 Max variant is intended to balance low boil-off performance with structural and thermomechanical efficiency. Although LNG remains the company’s central field, GTT has also developed solutions for other liquefied gases, including GTT MARS for liquefied petroleum gas. The group’s activities extend beyond the initial design of containment systems to technology development, technical assistance and related engineering services. Its intellectual-property position is an important part of its competitive profile; in June 2020, France’s National Institute of Industrial Property ranked GTT first in its list of leading patent applicants, with 58 patents filed. GTT became a publicly traded company on Euronext Paris in February 2014. It has also pursued international development, including the announcement in April 2019 of a digital center of excellence in Singapore. The company operates in a sector shaped by LNG demand, shipbuilding cycles, energy security, decarbonization debates and geopolitical restrictions. Its continued work for Russian clients after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine attracted scrutiny. In January 2023, GTT announced that it had suspended work with Russia on the construction of fifteen Arc 7 LNG tankers. The company remains an active specialist engineering and technology provider for the global liquefied-gas transportation and storage industry.
History
Gaztransport & Technigaz developed from two French technology companies that emerged during the formative period of commercial LNG shipping. In the 1950s, European companies investigated ways to move gas from Algeria to Europe. Political and regional conditions made a North African pipeline impractical, encouraging the development of maritime transportation in the form of LNG, a cryogenic liquid that occupies substantially less volume than gaseous natural gas. Following the 1962 Evian Accords, France acquired the LNG carrier Jules Verne for service between Oran and France. Britain already operated two such vessels. The growth of this trade created demand for specialized systems that could keep LNG at approximately minus 163 degrees Celsius while protecting the ship’s structure and limiting cargo losses through evaporation. Technigaz was created in 1963 by Gazocean, a company jointly owned by Gaz de France and NYK Line. Its work focused on membrane-based containment. In 1964, Technigaz filed a patent covering wall panels for membrane tanks. The patent was granted in 1968 and helped establish the Mark I system. Twelve LNG carriers built between 1968 and 1979 used Technigaz Mark technology. Technigaz was sold to the Amrep Group in 1983. After Amrep entered bankruptcy in 1984, the company was taken over by the Bouygues Group. Gaztransport was founded on 10 January 1966. In 1967, Phillips Petroleum and Marathon Oil, which held contracts to import gas into Japan, ordered two LNG carriers from the Swedish Kockums shipyard. The vessels, Polar Alaska and Arctic Tokyo, used Gaztransport’s NO containment technology. Polar Alaska was launched in 1969, and the two ships remained in operation for approximately 45 years. From 1969 to 1978, ten LNG carriers used Gaztransport NO systems. The two companies were competitors but developed complementary technical traditions. In 1994, Gaztransport was merged with Technigaz and Technigaz Shipping, creating Gaztransport & Technigaz. The merger brought the Mark and NO technology families into one organization and established the foundation of the modern GTT Group. The company’s core technology consists of membrane containment systems. These systems use cryogenic liners positioned inside a ship’s hull. The liner and its insulation are engineered to accommodate temperature changes, cargo movement, pressure and structural stresses while reducing boil-off. GTT subsequently developed the Mark III and NO96 families from the technologies inherited from its predecessors. Mark III systems use a primary metallic membrane over insulation panels that include a secondary membrane. NO96 systems use two metallic membranes and two independent insulation layers. NO96 Max was developed to combine low boil-off with improved strength and thermomechanical performance. GTT expanded its scope beyond LNG with GTT MARS, a technology intended for liquefied petroleum gas transportation. Its business is primarily technology- and engineering-led, with relationships spanning shipowners, shipyards and energy companies. The company’s intellectual property is central to its position in the LNG-carrier supply chain. In June 2020, the French National Institute of Industrial Property placed GTT first in its ranking of leading companies, recording 58 patent filings. GTT was listed on Euronext Paris on 27 February 2014. It later announced the creation of a digital hub of excellence in Singapore in April 2019, reflecting an effort to strengthen its international and digital capabilities. The group’s activities have also intersected with geopolitical controversy. Following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, GTT continued providing services to Russian clients for a period while many international companies were leaving the Russian market. In January 2023, it suspended work connected with fifteen Arc 7 LNG tankers. GTT remains an active French specialist in maritime containment engineering for liquefied gases.
- 2023
Russian Arc 7 tanker work is suspended
[1]GTT suspends work with Russian clients on fifteen Arc 7 LNG tankers after the geopolitical consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
- 2020
GTT leads French patent-applicant ranking
[1]The National Institute of Industrial Property ranks GTT first among leading companies, citing 58 patent filings.
- 2019
Singapore digital hub announced
[1]GTT announces plans for a digital hub of excellence in Singapore.
- 2014
GTT lists on Euronext Paris
[1]Gaztransport & Technigaz becomes publicly traded on Euronext Paris on 27 February.
- 1994
Gaztransport and Technigaz merge
[1]Gaztransport, Technigaz and Technigaz Shipping are combined to form Gaztransport & Technigaz.
- 1969
Polar Alaska is launched
[1]Polar Alaska, one of the early LNG carriers using Gaztransport’s NO technology, is launched.
- 1966
Gaztransport is founded
[1]Gaztransport is founded on 10 January as a separate LNG-containment technology company.
- 1964
Technigaz files its membrane-tank patent
[1]Technigaz files a patent for wall panels intended for membrane tanks, laying groundwork for its Mark technology family.
- 1963
Technigaz is established
[1]Gazocean creates Technigaz to develop technologies for LNG transportation.
Products and positioning
A specialist, intellectual-property-led maritime engineering company focused on cryogenic membrane containment for liquefied gases. GTT positions itself as a technology partner to shipowners, shipyards and energy companies rather than as a conventional shipbuilder or gas producer.
LNG membrane containment system
Mark III
The Mark III family is a cryogenic membrane containment system derived from Technigaz technology. It uses a primary metallic membrane installed over prefabricated insulation panels that incorporate a complete secondary membrane. The containment arrangement is directly supported by the vessel’s inner hull and is designed to isolate LNG from the hull while managing thermal contraction, structural loads and boil-off.
LNG membrane containment system
NO96
NO96 is the principal membrane technology lineage inherited from Gaztransport. Its cryogenic liner is directly supported by the ship’s inner hull and contains two substantially identical metallic membranes separated by two independent insulation layers. The arrangement provides redundant containment and insulation for LNG carriers operating with cargo at cryogenic temperatures.
LNG membrane containment system
NO96 Max
NO96 Max is a development of the NO96 family intended to balance low boil-off with containment strength and thermomechanical efficiency. It is aimed at improving the operational and structural performance of LNG containment while retaining the basic membrane-based approach associated with the NO technology.
LPG containment technology
GTT MARS
GTT MARS is a containment technology developed for the transportation of liquefied petroleum gas. It represents GTT’s extension beyond its best-known LNG-carrier systems into another segment of liquefied-gas shipping.
Controversies
2022
Continued Russian business after the invasion of Ukraine
GTT continued providing services to Russian clients after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, while many major international companies were withdrawing from or reducing operations in Russia. The company’s position drew scrutiny because its engineering services were connected with LNG shipping projects.
Brand decisions
2023
Suspension of Russian Arc 7 tanker workStrategyBackground
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine created geopolitical, commercial and compliance pressure on companies serving Russian energy and shipping projects.
Action taken
GTT suspended all work with Russian clients on the construction of fifteen Arc 7 LNG tankers.
Aftermath
The suspension ended the company’s reported involvement in those projects, although the available reference does not provide further operational or financial effects.
2019
Creation of a Singapore digital hubStrategyBackground
GTT sought to strengthen its international engineering and digital capabilities in Asia.
Action taken
The group announced that it would create a digital hub of excellence in Singapore.
Aftermath
The announcement expanded GTT’s stated international and digital-development footprint; further results are not specified in the available material.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
GTT launches LNG Optim smart-shipping solution[2]
GTT launched LNG Optim, a digital smart-shipping solution that helps LNG operators and owners of LNG carriers or LNG-fueled vessels prepare voyages to reduce fuel consumption and manage boil-off gas.
Reported
GTT develops NO96 Super+ cargo containment technology[3]
GTT said it developed NO96 Super+, an evolution of its NO96 Cargo Containment System, with a design intended to reduce LNG cargo evaporation during operations. The article reports that the technology had received approval in principle from Bureau Veritas; final class approval was still expected by mid-2021.
- Unconfirmed
Reported
GTT acquires Marorka[4]
Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT) acquired 100 percent of the share capital of Icelandic smart shipping specialist Marorka.
Sources4 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/gaztransport-and-technigaz · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled