Kotug and Becker Marine develop LNG Hybrid Barge for Rotterdam

The LNG Hybrid Barge is equipped with several generator sets which are fueled by LNG. In the summer months the companies intend to use the barge to power cruise ships visiting Rotterdam. This allows the ships to turn off their diesel engines effectively reducing the output of harmful emissions in the city centre. During the winter months, when the cruise season is on a low, the barge can be used to supply power to industrial users like tank terminals, or even heating for the city.

The use of LNG as a fuel eliminates the output of sulphur and particulate matter completely. It also reduces the output of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, with 90 and 20% respectively. Mai Elmar, executive producer of Cruise Port Rotterdam, welcomes the initiative: “The LNG Hybrid barge will potentially reduce emissions even further”, she said.

Kotug and Becker Marine Systems signed a Memorandum of Understanding in early October in which the companies agreed that, if they can built a solid business case, Becker Marine Systems will be the owner of the barge and Kotug will be responsible for the commercial, operational and technical management of the power station.

“The development is still in an investigative stadium”, said Patrick Everts, general manager of Kotug’s Maritime Excellence Center, the business unit responsible for innovative and special projects. “Our primary target group is the cruise industry, but to build a closing business case we need other users to keep the barge operational during the winter months as well. We are looking at all possibilities.”

The companies already have identified a few possible solutions. “We could operate as a peak shaver for container terminals during high loads or act as energy supplier for tank storage terminals that need extra energy to keep the stored goods liquefied during the winter”, Everts said. Another possibility would be to supply power to box ships. “The new terminals at Maasvlakte 2 have invested heavily in zero emission terminals. The LNG Hybrid Barge can help to reduce emissions on the waterside as well.”

The barge can also be used to supply heat to the central heating system of the city. “It will be equipped with hose connections that lead to a piping system which is heated by the warmth of the engines”, Ralph-Thomas Rapp, director LNG Hybrid at Becker Marine Systems said.

Becker Marine Systems is the inventor of the LNG Hybrid Barge. Roughly a year ago the company took delivery of the first one called the Hummel. The barge has a length of 76.7 metres and a breadth of 11.4 metres and is equipped with five generators with an overall output of 7.5 Megawatts. The electrical system can switch between 50 and 60 Hertz so that it can serve both ships and shore operations.

The Hummel has been operating as a power station in the port of Hamburg, where it supplied power to the cruise ship Aida Sol and an industrial user, said Rapp. “The system works perfectly”, he said. “The obstacle is that many cruise ships are not equipped with shore connections yet. It’s a chicken and egg problem. That’s why we need to be able to serve other users as well.” Becker Marine has chartered the barge out on a daily or long term charter.

Whether or not the barge will in Rotterdam will have the same dimensions and power capacity as the Hummel is not clear yet. “We first have to investigate the market to determine how much power we’ll need, but ideally the power capacity will be scalable”, Everts said. The market investigation is expected to take six months.

By Tobias Pieffers