Scheduled to last more than a month mid-year in Bremerhaven, Germany, was what is being billed as the world’s first conversion of a container ship to LNG dual fuel propulsion.
The 1036 TEU Type SSW 1000 container feeder Wes Amelie was being re-equipped at German Dry Docks (GDD) for Wessels Reederei in Haren on the River Ems. If all goes well Wessels says the conversion of three sister ships will follow.
The Wes Amelie, which is152m long and of 10,585gt, was arriving at GDD at the end of May. The LNG tank for the ship arrived a month earlier from TGE Marine Gas Engineering in Shanghai aboard MSC Maya. The 11.2m long and 8m diameter tank, weighing 90 tons, was lifted to GDD by the floating crane ENAK.
Wessels General Manager and Head of Business Development and Special Projects Christian P. Hoepfner told Maritime Journal: “The conversion should be completed in 35-40 days. But whether we achieve this or not remains to be seen”. Hoepfner added “We should not forget that this is a pilot project. If we start on June 6th the Wes Amelie should go back into service in the second half of July”.
The conversion of the three further ships – which Maritime Journal has already been told will be sisters Wes Janine, Wes Gesa and Wes Carina – will not take place immediately after that of Wes Amelie.
“We will not be able to make a start with the sisters straight away, because financing is not yet in place”, Hoepfner told this correspondent late April. Reports have said the German Government is contributing more than €1 million to the project as part of a programme to promote emission reductions and the development of LNG infrastructure in Germany.
Financing is a big challenge, Wessels indicated, with LNG retrofitting significantly more expensive and complex than the installation of a scrubber system and external financial support therefore “fundamentally important”.
Wessels and main engine builders MAN Diesel & Turbo have been looking at the idea of converting 1000 TEU container feeders to eco-friendly LNG for several years.
Hoepfner said the existing MAN 8L48/60B engine on Wes Amelie was not being replaced but converted into a Type 8L51/60 DF engine. A complete gas system including a gas-handling room and a gas valve unit along with a 490m3 LNG tank were also being installed.
GDD and associate MWB Power will support MAN Diesel & Turbo and GDD was also undertaking pipe work, LNG tank installation and bow steel section work. Wessels said because of the extreme LNG temperatures, special stainless steel alloys were being used for pipes and tank. GDD was also assisting gas system supplier TGE in the installation of gas and regulator equipment.
By Tom Todd
