Landmark LNG-fuelled tanker set for sea trials
As reported, the 15,000dwt tanker and its sister vessels are currently under construction at AVIC DIngheng Shipbuilding in China, with the lead ship due for delivery in June. Dick Höglund, financial manager of Terntank, presented an update on the project at European Commission Clean Fuel Strategy seminar in early May.
The new vessels are designed specifically for trading in the sulphur ECA zones, and in LNG mode will meet IMO Tier III NOx emission limits without after-treatment. Terntank has noted that combined with an efficient hull form, the propulsion plant will enable the vessels to operate on a reduced fuel consumption of between 13.5-14.0 tonnes per day, compared to 22 tonnes for existing vessels of similar size.
The 147m vessels will be propelled by a Wärtsilä 5RT-flex 50 DF main engine, generating 5,850kW at 108rpm. Auxiliary power is provided by three Mitsubishi MAS 850-S generators rated at 790kWe at 1,800rpm. A variable frequency drive shaft generator with power take-out capability of 780kW and power take-in of 1,000kW (at 80rpm), will further enhance fuel efficiency.
“Ninety-five percent of our revenue lies in the North European SECA zone (the North Sea and Baltic Sea) and that is why we are eager to be a frontrunner,” Höglund said. “We chose LNG – a choice made in close collaboration with our customers, the main oil companies, who wish to be at the forefront on this agenda.”
The project was jointly funded by the European Union under the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) initiative. It is one element of the EU’s €300 million-plus initiative to support the transition from conventional marine fuels to LNG – at the seminar Danish MEP Ole Christensen welcomed the EU ambition to have LNG bunkering facilities at all ports in the European Core Ports Network* (more than 90 ports across nine core shipping corridors).
* Note: Ports listed in the European Core Ports Network are: Tallinn, Cork, Dublin, Limerick/Shannon, Athens, Igoumenitsa, Iraklion, Patras, Thessaloniki, A Coruña, Algeciras, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cartagena, Gijón, Huelva, Las Palmas, Palma de Mallorca, Seville, Tarragona, Tenerife, Valencia, Bordeaux, Calais, Le Havre, Marseille, Fos-sur-Mer, Rouen, Rijeka, Ancona, Augusta, Bari, Cagliari, Genova, Gioia Tauro, La Spezia, Livorno, Napoli, Palermo, Ravenna, Taranto, Trieste, Venice, Lemesos, Riga, Ventspils, Klaipeda, Marsaxlokk, Valletta, Amsterdam, Moerdijk, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Vlissingen, Gdansk, Gdynia, Szczecin, Swinoujscie, Lisbon, Porto, Sines, Constanta, Galati, Koper, Helsinki, Hamina, Kotka, Tuurku, Naantali, Göteborg, Luleå, Malmö, Stockholm, Trelleborg, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Newport, Dover/Folkestone, Edinburgh, Felixstowe, Harwich, Glasgow, Grimsby/Immingham, Liverpool, London, Milford Haven, Southampton, Teesport,
