Rolls-Royce develops gas engine for Baleària

The contract will see an LNG-fuelled Rolls-Royce Bergen C26:33 L6 AG auxiliary engine – generating 1,560kWe of power – installed on the 29,670 tonne ro-pax ferry. The deal is Rolls-Royce’s first for a gas engine installation on a European-flagged vessel beyond Norway.

John Knudsen, president – commercial marine at Rolls-Royce, said: “Spain has the potential to be a significant player in the LNG market. The agreement with Gas Natural Fenosa is a giant step forward in emissions reduction in advance of the entry into force of future emissions legislation.”

Pre-installation work is scheduled for early 2015 before a drydocking later in the year. Testing and implementation work will take place towards the end of next year.

Adolfo Utor, group president of Baleària, added: “This is a very important milestone that will enable us to be pioneers in the use of natural gas on ferries and, at the same time, be more sustainable. Besides reducing CO2 emissions by 40%, it also enables us to reduce fuel costs.

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may well find herself deployed on a route in an Emissions Control Area (ECA) sometime in the future.”

The new engine will be fully integrated into the electricity plant on the vessel, enabling operation with any of the on-board auxiliaries. When

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is in port, it will be connected to the distribution infrastructure ashore or the LNG tank located on-board. The ferry will also consume natural gas during approach and departure manoeuvres to generate electricity, replacing the heavy fuel oil previously used for this purpose.

The new engine will cut annual emissions by almost 4,000 tonnes of CO2, over 60 tonnes of NOx and six tonnes of SOx.