The vessel, built to Rolls-Royce’s Environship concept, sailed to Norway from Tsuji Heavy Industries shipyard in Jiangsu, China, via Singapore, and subsequent LNG bunkerings in Cochin, India and Cartagena, Spain - the longest voyage ever undertaken by a vessel running solely on LNG.
“The success of the voyage from Asia to Europe on LNG not only confirms the energy-saving and emissions-reduction attributes of Rolls-Royce’s pure gas engine but provides evidence to owners of larger tonnage that LNG is not just for short sea coastal ships,” said Tor Arne Borge, ceo of Nor Lines. “The Environship concept with the Bergen engine has exceeded all our expectations.”
As well as the LNG-powered Bergen engine, the Environship concept, which can be adapted for different ship types, incorporates a range of other Rolls-Royce equipment including a Promas combined rudder and propeller, a hybrid shaft generator to optimise use of electrical power and a wave-piercing hull.
“It is important to note that the Bergen B35:40 gas engine is not a dual-fuel engine,” said Oscar Kallerdahl, Rolls-Royce LNG Systems sales manager. “A pure gas engine and shaft generator driving a controllable pitch propeller is the most effective configuration for keeping emissions low and improving fuel consumption.”
R-R claims the Environship concept can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 40% vs “similar diesel powered vessels, dependent on operational profile”.
“The realisation of Kvitbjørn is a significant milestone in the shipping industry’s fundamental transition from diesel fuel to LNG,” added Kallerdahl.
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