Wartsila Supplies New LNG Engine for Dredgers

Finnish technology group Wartsila will supply a unique and patent-pending LNG fuel storage and supply system for two new trailing suction hopper dredgers, it said September 2. The ships are being built by Keppel Offshore & Marine for Van Oord, the Dutch marine contractor. The order with Wartsila was placed in Q2 2019.

The system comprises two 640-m³ single-shell polyurethane insulated storage tanks, featuring a new and innovative ‘In Line Tank Connection Space' that contains the process equipment. The process equipment is usually on top, limiting view and raising the risk of damage to what is beneath. The ILTCS also makes the installation of the LNG system simpler, Wartsila said.

Van Oord said the "unique technology" meant that it would gain more experience using LNG as an alternative fuel in its dredging fleet.

The Wartsila equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yard in mid-2020 for the first vessel, and in autumn 2020 for the second one. From next January, stringent new rules on sulphur emissions will apply to shipping, and operators such as BHP are seeking to use LNG as one solution for their marine freight transport needs.