Royal Boskalis Westminster joint venture Keppel Smit Towage has named its first LNG dual-fuel harbour tug.
The tug, which will soon enter service, was named KST Liberty at a ceremony held at the Keppel Singmarine yard. The 65-tonne bollard pull LNG dual-fuel Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tug was built by Keppel Singmarine and the design won the Outstanding Maritime R&D and Technology Award at the 2015 Singapore International Maritime Awards.
Reducing Emissions
Mr Romi Kaushal, Managing Director of Keppel Smit Towage stated: 'This is a state-of-the-art tug with environmentally-friendly features that exceed the requirements of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) global cap of 0.5% on the sulphur content of marine fuel that comes into force on 1 January 2020. It will substantially reduce CO2 emissions relative to traditional tugs and is a much welcomed green initiative.'
'KST Liberty will also increase our capabilities as the fitted LNG tanks will allow for extended harbour operations without the need for refueling, enhancing operational efficiency. It is also more compact, compared to tugs of same bollard pull, providing enhanced manoeuvrability.'
Containerised LNG Tanks
Smart designs were incorporated to enhance the tug's safety and comfort. The LNG fuel is carried in containerised, type-C ISO-certified tanks on the main deck, and re-fueling can be done by truck-to-ship operations or replacing the empty tanks with new ones. It is equipped with an innovative and patented LNG vaporiser which is compact and cost-effective.
Shell will be supplying the LNG fuel to KST Liberty while FueLNG, a joint venture between Keppel O&M and Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte) Ltd., will be providing the LNG bunkering services at Jurong Port.
