EMEA News
German Ferry Getting LNG Retrofit
Wärtsilä says it has received an order to retrofit a German car and passenger ferry to use liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkers.
The MV Ostfriesland sails between Emden, Germany and Borkum Island, through an ecologically sensitive UNESCO World Heritage listed part of the North Sea.
German shipyard Brenn und Verformungstechnik Bremen GmbH (BVT) hired the company on behalf of shipowner Aktien-Gesellschaft EMS (AG EMS) to reduce the ferry’s environmental impact.
The ship will use two 6-cylinder Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel generating sets and a Wärtsilä LNGPac, which includes systems for onboard liquid natural gas bunkering, storage tanks, and handling equipment with safety and automation system, as well as an air conditioning system that uses latent heat from the LNG.
The ferry will run mainly on LNG with the ability to switch to conventional bunkers if necessary.
The retrofitting will begin in the second quarter of 2014 and is expected to take about seven weeks.
"It is of the utmost importance for us to operate the ‘Ostfriesland’ in the most ecologically friendly manner possible, with low exhaust emissions, perfect manoeuvrability, and high reliability," said AG EMS board member Bernhard Brons.
"Thanks to Wärtsilä’s dual-fuel technology with its built-in redundancy, the vessel will be able to operate without restrictions in the SECA and NECA sulphur and nitrogen controlled areas."
Norway's Fjord Line recently received a new LNG-powered cruise ferry, and other ferry operators, including BC Ferry Services Inc. of Canada, report that they are considering using the fuel.
