Sustainability at sea By Joel Goodstein – Photo Claus BonneruP Private Photos inCluded 9 9% liquefied natural gas and 1% diesel fuel; this is the fuel composition, on which the new Samsø ferry Princess Isabella runs. From spring 2015, the vessel has been sailing the route between Hou and Sælvig. On board is a dual fuel engine from Wärtsilä, which makes it possible to operate on both marine gas oil and gas. The ferry is the first Danish domestic ferry powered by LNG, but the aim is to fuel it with locally produced biogas from the island of Samsø within 5-6 years. Apart from the fact that this is the first Danish domestic ferry to operate on LNG, the project is also unique in terms of its bunkering and logistical solutions. The LNG is transported 800 kilometres in a custom-built tanker from the Gate termi- nal in Rotterdam to the quayside in Hou Harbour, using two alternating moveable tanks. One tank stands on the quayside in Hou and is used for the bunkering of the ferry, while the other tank is transported back and forth between Hou and Rotterdam. Several marine engineers have participated in the project in different ways, on both the supplier and customer side. One of them was Hans Ørum Andersen, Key Account Manager at Q8, which won the tender for the project to provide LNG and a bunkering facility for the Samsø ferry. »We saw the project as an opportunity to enter a growing market for LNG in European shipping, where one can expect a growing interest in LNG as emission and environmental requirements for shipping increases. We know that LNG is a temporary solution, since the shipping company wants to switch to biogas at some time. Until then, LNG is a good interim solution, which other shipping companies could also consider. Today, we are in a very good position to bid on several LNG projects. We expect the Samsø ferry to be the first of several Danish LNG projects, and we are also bidding on projects abroad,« said Andersen, who expects that the price of LNG will either remain stable or fall in the future. “We believe there will be many new LNG projects both for shipping and for land transport. In Denmark, LNG should provide an interesting option for a great number of ferry services, and the solution we have devised can be seamlessly converted into biogas, if that is what a company is striving for in the long term,« Andersen added. Newly developed bunkering facility A number of requirements had to be accommodated. The bunkering of LNG has Four of the marine engineers who have contributed to the LNG-powered Samsø ferry, from left to right: Anders Bjørn (Kosan Crisplant), Hans Ørum Andersen (Q8), Klaus Rasmussen (MovingEnergy), Dan Nielsen (Samsø ferry). 4 Maskinmesteren august 2015
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