digest Brittany Ferries goes for gas in brief...
• IACS member Korean Register (KR) has created a mobile app containing all of IMO’s conventions. It is based on the class society’s KR-CON database program which contains the full up-to- date texts of all IMO conventions, codes, resolutions and circulars.
Brittany Ferries’ LNG-fuelled ferry will be bunkered by a dedicated barge operation (credit: Brittany Ferries/STX France)
The world’s largest gas-fuelled ropax fleet will emerge following a decision by France’s Brittany Ferries to commit to gas fuelling for the long term. It currently has a newbuilding on order at STX France that will be one of the largest LNG-powered ropaxes yet, with a passenger capacity of 2,475 and space for 800 cars. The ferry operator is converting three other ships and the rest of its fleet will be fitted with scrubbers but will eventually be replaced by LNG-fuelled newbuildings. The projects are being overseen by
Bureau Veritas (BV). Jean Jacques Juenet, BV’s manager for passenger ships, underlined the importance of having assured bunkering arrangements in place. “With a clear picture of the economics and safety issues and certainty about the fuel supply, Brittany Ferries was able to take the crucial decision to adapt to new emissions rules by making a full switch to gas power,” he said. A risk analysis carried out by BV together with its consultancy subsidiary Tecnitas supported Brittany Ferries’ decision to switch part of its fleet to gas fuel. Bunkering arrangements played an important role in the newbuilding’s design. BV explained that it will utilise Gaztransport
et Technigaz (GTT) membrane tank technology for the gas containment, providing greater capacity and thus an extended period between bunkering operations. It will be the first ferry anywhere to use a membrane gas fuel tank.
In an interview with BV’s VeriStar
News newsletter, Frédéric Pouget, Britany Ferries’ group maritime, port and operations director, said that the ship will have a tank capacity of 1,350m3. “And we intend that bunkering of LNG will be no more frequent than it is now for HFO.” At the time of writing, the ferry company was working with suppliers to set up an LNG barge operation that would provide bunkers to the various ports it serves at the same or lower price than HFO. No confirmation was available as to which gas supplier will secure this contract but sources mentioned GDF Suez as a possible supplier. GDF Suez did not respond to a request to comment on these reports. It has, however, said that it sees LNG bunkering as a new market, prompted by the demand that will emerge from EU environmental directives, and it is developing a design for an LNG bunker tanker.
E-course tackles energy efficiency German shipping company E R Schiffahrt has rolled out the DNV GL e-learning course Energy Efficiency on Board across its entire fleet of 125 container ships, bulk carriers and offshore vessels. It is the first company to do so.
The course, which is designed to help operators to improve the energy efficiency of their onboard systems, was jointly developed by DNV GL and E R Schiffahrt as part of a pilot project. The e-learning course will be
www.mpropulsion.com
offered via the DNV GL Maritime Academy to the shipowner’s captains and chief engineers to help them improve energy use through targeted measures.
These include optimising trim and ballast, looking for savings offered by propellers and rudders, and improving route planning. The course identifies where each measure can be introduced and implemented and how great the potential energy savings can be. Kathrin Stürzekarn, team leader at ›››
• Carnival Corp is likely to have scrubbers on at least 20 ships by the end of the year. Trials on Queen Victoria helped Carnival to obtain waivers from the US Environmental Protection Agency and from Transport Canada, to exempt it from the requirement to use low sulphur fuel in the North American emissions control area (ECA) from next year.
• DNV GL has increased its stake in StormGeo, a global provider of weather data. It is the second biggest shareholder after EQT Mid Market, which has bought majority ownership from private equity group Reiten & Co and Norwegian broadcaster TV2. EQT will enter into a partnership with DNV GL and StormGeo’s management and employee shareholders.
• Rolls-Royce has launched a new Series 1600 MTU-branded genset. It is based on a six-cylinder Series 1600 inline engine delivering up to 323kW output and is compliant with IMO Tier II and EPA Tier 3 regulations.
• Damen Song Cam, a new Vietnamese shipyard that is a joint venture between Damen Shipyards Group and local shipbuilder Song Cam, opened in March. It is one of the largest in the Damen group and is Damen’s first formal joint venture yard in Vietnam.
• Class NK has classed its first US- flagged ship, the oil/chemical tanker SLNC Pax, owned by Schuyler Line Navigation Co.
• French group navigation satellite specialist Orolia – best known for its McMurdo brand electronic and safety equipment – and the Transas Group are to jointly develop e-maritime systems that integrate maritime domain awareness and search and rescue functionality.
Marine Propulsion I April/May 2014 I 7
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