LNG bunker ship for the Baltic Sea
Damen Shipyards Group has started building LNG bunker ships with a focus on the Baltic Sea. The first customer, an Estonian company, had initiated serial construction of such vessels. Russian companies are getting a good look at the new design.
The Dutch company is sure that ship-to-ship bunkering with LNG will become possible in the North-East region of the Baltic Sea from 2020.
In the beginning of October 2018, DAMEN signed a contract with Estonia’s leading energy company Eesti Gaas for the construction of the lead ship in a series of LNG bunker vessels to operate in the Baltic Sea. The 100-metre vessel of Project LGC 6000 LNG will be built at DAMEN Yichang Shipyard in China and will carry 6,000m³ of LNG.
From September 2020, Eesti Gaas will operate this LNG bunker vessel under a long term charter from its parent company and owner of the vessel, Infortar AS. The technical management for the vessel will be provided by the region’s leading shipping company Tallink Grupp.
The demand for ship-to-ship bunkering is especially high in the segment of passenger, Ro-Ro and RoPax ships. The new tanker will let facilitate introduction of LNG as an environmentally friendly fuel in the North-East region of the Baltic Sea, say the suppliers.
“The vessel will load LNG in the Baltic Sea region terminals for distribution in the Baltic area. The vessel will predominantly operate in the Gulf of Finland area, which has a clear need to move towards clean energy supply,” commented Ain Hanschmidt, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Eesti Gaas.
When asked by IAA PortNews to comment on the contract, DAMEN Sales Director Vadim Akimov said: “It is a comfort to know that DAMEN is not only a witness but also a full participant of the current technological revolution in the fleet sector. Marine and river ships have already started switching to a principally new type of fuel – liquefied natural gas. And we are building LNG bunker vessels to create an infrastructure for a full-scale development of this new segment in the global shipping industry”.
Currently, Eesti Gaas is refuelling the LNG fuelled RoPax vessel Megastar by truck, with eleven required for a single operation. The LGC 6000 LNG will be able to resupply the ferry in a single, efficient and much faster procedure while she is alongside her regular berth, loading and unloading passengers and vehicles. Ports will also be spared the additional traffic generated by moving LNG by road.
Two years ago, Eesti Gaas expanded its LNG transport and bunkering capacity by entering long-term LNG supply contracts with shipping companies and industrial consumers. Over time, as the adoption of LNG as a marine fuel gains momentum, it is anticipated that additional LGC 6000 LNG vessels will enter operation.
Safety is of course of paramount importance and is at the core of the design and build process for both the vessel class and the bunkering procedures. The LGC 6000 LNG is also designed to meet the requirements of ICE class 1A certification and to achieve green ship notation. A dual fuel propulsion system will be used for the management of the Boil-Off Gas (BOG) in combination with a gas burner, and the interior of the vessel will feature high-quality accommodation for her crew.
Representatives of Damen Shipyards Group will cover the details of the new project at the 2nd Conference “LNG Fleet and LNG Bunkering in Russia” while Russian companies will have an opportunity to hold preliminary negotiations on possible construction of Damen’s LNG bunker ships for Russian ports.
Registration of the Conference delegates is underway. More about the Conference >>>>
About Damen:
Gorinchem, Netherlands headquartered Damen Shipyards Group (established in 1927) has 34 owned shipyards. Damen employs some 10,000 people worldwide (3,500 — in the Netherlands). In total, Damen Shipyards Group has built 6,000 vessels. Every year it delivers about 160 ships to 100 countries worldwide. Damen specializes in building tugs, workboats, patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, offshore support vessels, oil-spill response vessels, frigates and mega yachts. In 2017 turnover of the Group reached EUR 2.0 billion.
Sofia Vinarova
