Wärtsilä Powered LNG Bunker Vessel "an Important Step Towards LNG Becoming the Fuel of Choice for Shipping in Europe"

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Monday February 9, 2015

Wärtsilä Corporation (Wärtsilä) today said it will power a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) bunker vessel to be built at the STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Company yard in South Korea on behalf of Shell.

"This new specialized vessel is an important step towards LNG becoming the fuel of choice for shipping in Europe, and Wärtsilä is pleased and honoured to cooperate with Shell and STX in this project," said Aaron Bresnahan, Vice President, Sales, Wärtsilä Ship Power.

"LNG eases compliance with both the new and anticipated future IMO environmental regulations, and we are proud that our development of technologies throughout the gas chain is of increasing value to the marine sector."

The new Shell vessel will be based at the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and will load from the new break bulk terminal and jetty to be constructed by the Gas Access to Europe (Gate) terminal.

It will also be sea-going and able to bunker customers at other locations.

"This specialised LNG bunker vessel is a pioneering new design," said Dr Grahaeme Henderson, Vice President of Shell Shipping & Maritime.

"It will have a capacity to carry 6500 cubic metres of LNG fuel, and will be highly efficient and manoeuvrable. It will be able to load from big or small terminals and to bunker a broad variety of vessels. We worked closely with our customers on the specifications of this exciting new bunker vessel and will use cutting-edge technology. Shell is proud to be leading in the development of LNG fuel in shipping."

The new LNG bunkering vessel will be powered by three 8-cylinder Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel engines capable of operating on either gas or diesel fuels, which are scheduled for delivery in spring 2016.

In December Ship & Bunker reported that STX had won the contract to construct the vessel following a tender process that also involved fellow Korean yard Samsung Heavy Industries and China's Avic Dingheng Shipbuilding.