More new LNG ships go on stream

A new weekly service was being launched by Nor Lines in April with two LNG driven RoRo newbuilds between Cuxhaven and Norwegian ports. It will, said operators Cuxport, make Cuxhaven the first German port to host a regular cargo service using LNG ships.

The Chinese-built Kvitbjørn and Kvitnos will serve ports from Oslo Fjord to the west coast and as far as Hammerfest in Northern Norway. Kvitbjørn, cost a reported €65 million and was being followed by sister ship Kvitnos.

The ships are about 120m long and 21m wide with 1000 lane m and 122 teus. They boast Rolls Royce Bergen main engines Type B3540L9PG of 3,940kW apiece and carry 380 cu. m LNG tanks built by Aritas Baincli Kaplar Sanayi in Turkey. The ships also have Rolls Royce Promas propulsion systems and an integrated propeller and rudder plant which saves up to 18% of fuel costs.

Also for delivery this spring is the second dual fuel LNG tanker newbuilding to be built by Dutch shipyard Hoogezand Nieuwbouw near Groningen.

The coastal tanker Sefarina, for Chemgas, part of Germany’s Jaegers Group, is 87.2m long and 14.8m wide. It draws 4.85m and has two gas tanks of total 3,000 cu m. Main propulsion is a Wärtsilä DF main engine Type 8L20DF of 1,410kW which can be driven by gasoil or LNG. A sister ship, Sundowner, is due for delivery early next year.

The ship completed last year by Hoogezand was the 110m long inland tanker Sirocco, also for Chemgas and reportedly the first newbuilding ever to boast LNG tank installation below deck in the cargo hold.

Sirocco

has a capacity of 2,620 cu m in six tanks and, like

Sefarina,

has DF gasoil/LNG propulsion capability.