Rolls-Royce Signs $6.5m LNG Propulsion System Deal

An artist's rendering of the new LNG-powered cargo vessel being built by NSK with a Rolls Royce propulsion system. 

Rolls-Royce Tuesday announced it has signed a $6.5 million contract with Tersan Shipyard in Turkey to supply a liquefied natural gas (LNG) propulsion package for a cargo carrier,

The new cargo carrier will be designed by NSK Ship Design for Norwegian shipowner NSK Shipping and is a slightly larger sister ship to the MS Høydal, which was said to have been the world's first LNG powered cargo vessel delivered from Tersan Shipyard in 2012.

"We are thrilled that our designs have contributed to the use of LNG in powering cargo vessels, therefore reducing carbon footprints. We commend NSK Shipping and Rolls Royce for being at the helm of a more sustainable industry," said Kjartan Karlsen, Managing Director, NSK Ship Design. 

According to a press release the LNG propulsion system is made up of an eight-cylinder Bergen C 26:33 natural gas engine rated at 2160 kW, a Promas combined rudder and propeller system, one tunnel thruster in the bow and one in the aft, and a Rolls-Royce automation and DP system.

The vessel is also equipped with the Rolls-Royce hybrid shaft generator (HSG) propulsion system, which sees the main engine also generate electricity for the ship; The HSG system will generate electrical power for the ship even if the engine power output varies, saving fuel.

The HSG can also act as a propulsion motor providing an alternative power source should LNG become unavailable – a prerequisite for class approval.

The release also notes that Bergen Gas Engines from Rolls-Royce are the only pure gas engines on the market using a spark plug ignition, negating the need to use a small amount of diesel fuel for ignition, as is typically the case with alternative dual fuel engines.

Rolls Royce claims the B and C Series engines emit around 22 percent less CO2 per unit of power than a diesel engine, and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions are reduced by 90 percent; sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions are negligible.

In August of 2014 Ship & Bunker reported that Rolls Royce executives believed that marine fuel choices were becoming more complex.