"World's Cleanest Ferries" Powered by Rolls-Royce LNG Engines

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Tuesday March 17, 2015

Rolls-Royce announced that its gas engines are powering the "world's cleanest ferries", the two liquefied natural gas (LNG) ferries topping the World Ports Climate Environmental Ship Index (ESI). 

Fjord Line ferries Bergensfjord and Stavangerford received scores of 93.9 and 93.5 respectively, puling ahead of over 3000 ships currently listed on the index. 

"One reason for the high ESI score is that the Rolls-Royce Bergen engines only use LNG and do not need oil fuel for pilot injection," said John Knudsen, president of commercial marine for Rolls-Royce, who added that the engines emit no sulfur oxides, reduces nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 98 percent, and cuts carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 23 percent. 

Both vessels run on four Rolls-Royce BV12PG gas engines, which the company said power "highly efficient" rudders and propellers. 

"It is clear that the Rolls-Royce engines have made these ferries more environmentally-friendly than other vessels on the ESI list," said Morten Larsen, Fjord Line's technical and nautical director.

"We continue to improve the efficiency of our vessels and, as an example, have recently moved to LED lighting to reduce further energy consumption onboard." 

Ships are voluntarily submitted by shipowners to be ranked in the index, with vessels that are higher ranked receiving more favourable terms from participating ports, which includes both the ports of Amsterdam and Rotterdam

Last month, the company also announced that it would be supplying a LNG engine for the Baleària-owned ferry Abel Matutes.