The technology group Wärtsilä has been awarded a contract to supply a complete cargo handling system for a new LNG bunkering vessel, according to the company's release. The ship is being built at the Nantong CIMC Sinopacific Offshore and Engineering shipyard in China for Fratelli Cosulich S.p.A, the Italy based shipping group. The contract with Wärtsilä Gas Solutions was booked in August.
LNG is well established as a viable marine fuel, and it continues to be increasingly adopted as an important contributor to lowering global exhaust emission levels. The Wärtsilä system selected for this 8,200 cbm capacity bunkering vessel includes a complete engineering, design and equipment supply package for the cargo handling system, including a loading and discharge system, a boil-off gas (BOG) management control and integrated fuel supply system, as well as the custody transfer and bunkering transfer systems.
“Developing the LNG infrastructure is a key area for us, and we are very pleased to team up with an experienced and market-leading supplier such as Wartsila Gas Solutions for the design and delivery of the cargo system. We fully trust that their competence will secure a reliable and robust design for us,” commented Andrea Cosulich, President at Fratelli Cosulich LNG.
The Wärtsilä equipment will be delivered commencing in 2022, and the ship is expected to start commercial operations in 2023. It will probably operate around Italy’s coastline in the Mediterranean Sea.
Wärtsilä in brief:
Wärtsilä is a global leader in smart technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation, total efficiency and data analytics, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2020, Wärtsilä's net sales totalled EUR 4.6 billion with approximately 18,000 employees. The company has operations in over 200 locations in more than 70 countries around the world.