Retrofitted Wessels ship runs on SNG

The companies are cooperating on the Wes Amelie project with Nauticor, the LNG transportation company, and Unifeeder, the charter company. The 1,036teu vessel was refitted in 2017.

“This is another important milestone and proof of concept for the Maritime Energy Transition, the initiative we have been driving since 2016,” said Stefan Eefting, head of MAN PrimeServ in Augsburg. “We strongly believe that a roadmap based on LNG and SNG as fuels can lead the way to a decarbonised future for shipping and, in Wessels Marine, we have the perfect partner.”

Twenty of the 120 tonnes of LNG that the Wes Amelie typically uses per trip will be replaced by climate-neutral SNG, reducing CO2 emissions by 50 tonnes. Fuel will be generated from wind energy and will be provided by Audi once its SNG liquefaction plant in Werlte is completed in 2020.

‘Wes Amelie’ conversion

The ship-owning company from Haren/Ems, Wessels Reederei, initiated the conversion of Wes Amelie to dual-fuel running in 2017. The conversion made headlines when its MAN 8L48/60B main engine was retrofitted to its current, four-stroke MAN 51/60DF unit – the first conversion of its kind in the world.

MAN Energy Solutions reports that the retrofit has reduced SOX emissions by >99%, NOX by approximately 90%, and CO2 by up to 20%. As a result, the vessel now meets both Tier II and Tier III emission requirements set by the International Maritime Organisation.