EMEA News
Becker Marine Dismisses Rumours Over its LNG Hybrid Cold Ironing Barge
Amid reports of operational challenges, Becker Marine Systems (Becker Marine) says Hummel, its liquefied natural gas (LNG) hybrid barge in the Port of Hamburg, "continues to work perfectly."
Henning Kuhlmann, Managing Director of Becker Marine, commenting on the situation, said: "contrary to reports published elsewhere, Hummel is working smoothly and at full capacity."
"We are extremely satisfied at our record of more than 40 MWh of power over the longest possible period from the morning to the evening, which is equivalent to an entire supply cycle for AIDAsol in Hamburg."
As Ship & Bunker has previously reported, Hummel has been supplying LNG-generated power to cruise ships in the Port of Hamburg for over a year now, including AIDA Cruises' AIDAsol.
Hybrid Port Energy, the barge's operating company and a subsidiary of Becker Marine, says AIDAsol now receives eight hours of uninterrupted power supply during its layovers, with the vessel expected to have called the HafenCity Terminal a total of 15 times by October.
While Becker Marine says that Hummel's operations are indeed continuing, the company has expressed frustration over Hamburg's required certification processes, with the barge set to undergo a general certification procedure in July, conducted according to the International Electronic Consortium standard.
"The inflexible restrictions remain a source of annoyance. The fact that we are still speaking of a test phase despite all the progress we have made in just one year of operation has less to do with our technical capabilities and is more a result of the restrictions imposed on us," said Kuhlmann.
"At the moment there are two different landside power supply systems available in Hamburg," he added, concluding: "it would be fantastic to see larger numbers of cruise ships converting to this modern technology and making a valuable contribution to improving the air quality at the Port of Hamburg."
In May, Carnival Corporation & plc (Carnival) hailed its in-port use of LNG for two vessels berthed in the Port of Hamburg as a sign of the changing times for the cruise industry.
