Høglund awarded FGSS contract for Hurtigruten retrofits

Høglund will work together with HB Hunte Engineering to design and engineer fully customised tank and FGSS solutions for each of the six vessels, optimised to run on both liquified natural gas (LNG) and liquified biogas (LBG).

The project is the first time a large passenger vessel has been converted to run on LBG – a fossil-free, renewable gas produced from organic waste, such as food waste.

Hurtigruten, the polar region expedition cruise specialist, will use Høglund and HB Hunte’s bespoke FGSS solutions in tandem with large battery packs onboard its vessels, replacing its older engines which run on marine gas oil.

The difficulty of converting an existing passenger vessel and meeting the necessary safety requirements for tank placement demands highly specialised design and engineering.

Høglund Gas Solutions will provide a customised and integrated FGSS solution including process design and related automation. HB Hunte will provide mechanical gas engineering and gas tank design. The unique offering will also include overall project management and 24/7 after-care support from Høglund’s dedicated team of experts.

Peter Morsbach, Director Projects, Høglund Gas Solutions, noted Høglund has extensive experience in creating gas control and safety solutions, and has already proven itself adept in creating systems that can keep pace with the rapid development of the LNG-fuelled fleet.

“However, as the global fleet continues to grow and diversify, industry-wide collaboration will be vital in delivering the gas solutions required to provide safety and reliability in the long term. This project is a perfect example of the challenges the change in the sector presents. HB Hunte’s unique skill set and experience in the field of mechanical and detail gas engineering will help us to turn our bespoke concepts into tangible solutions, customised to meet the exact needs of our client.”

Frerk Brand, Managing Director, HB Hunte, recognised the technical and safety challenges associated with retrofitting a passenger vessel. “Our partnership with Høglund will allow us to not only overcome these challenges, but to build something that is truly unique and built to last. We created an optimised tank design for the series of six vessels, combining state-of-the-art technology with an innovative shape including proven reliability and safety specifically designed for Hurtigruten’s fleet of ships.”