German shipyard, BVT – Brenn und Verformungstechnik Bremen, has contracted Wärtsilä to convert the m/v Ostfriesland, a car and passenger ferry owned by Aktien-Gesellschaft EMS, so that it can use LNG as fuel.
The vessel sails between Emden and Borkum Island on the Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park, an ecologically sensitive UNESCO World Heritage listed area in the southeastern part of the North Sea, and the retrofit will significantly reduce the ship's environmental impact.
LNGPac
The vessel will be fitted with two 6-cylinder 20DF dual-fuel generating sets and an LNGPac. The dual-fuel engines will run primarily on LNG as the main fuel, but have the capacity to switch to conventional liquid fuels if necessary. The LNGPac, innovated and developed by Wärtsilä, comprises on board LNG bunkering, storage tanks, and handling equipment with related safety and automation systems.
Cold Recovery System
The scope of supply also includes Wärtsilä's patented Cold Recovery System, which utilises the latent heat of LNG in air conditioning systems, thus reducing the amount of electricity consumed in cooling compressors. Significant operational savings and an increase in overall vessel efficiency are the result.
The Wärtsilä contract was signed in April 2013. The retrofitting will be carried out during the second quarter of 2014 and is expected to be completed in about seven weeks.
