Germans sign €30 million LNG ship deal

Ferry operator AG Ems signed a contract October 15th with the Fassmer Shipyard for Germany’s first combined passenger and cargo ferry with LNG propulsion, reports Tom Todd.

The nearly 80m long and 20 knot ship will serve with subsidiary Cassen Eils and is for completion by the end of April 2015. She will operate year-round between Cuxhaven and Heligoland carrying 1,000 passengers and with a cargo hold capacity of up to ten 10 ft containers with reefer capability. AG Ems said it had invested about €30 million and that the ship was expected to serve for “at least 30-40 years”

The contract signing followed what the owners said were “many months of negotiation in which the parameters of a new generation of ocean-going ship were laid down”.

Her propulsion system will be based on dual fuel technology with LNG the primary fuel for main and auxiliary engines but she will be able to switch to conventional marine diesel if needed. No further technical details of the DF system or engine manufacturers were given. The introduction of dual fuel technology is to meet more stringent emission regulations in the Baltic and North Sea from 2015.

The newbuilding will also boast a suitable hull form for a speed of up to 20 knots and a dynamic stabiliser system, AG Ems said. Her public facilities would be up to cruise ship standards, said Chairman Bernhard Brons. She would, he added, have a “cruise ship feel to her” and be a milestone in company development.

The new ferry is the first AG Ems ship to be fitted with dual fuel propulsion from the outset. However the owner is meanwhile retrofitting and converting another ship for LNG operation. The 1,860gt, 78.7m ferry Ostfriesland is being transformed at BVT Shipyard in Bremen for a reported €13 million – work that includes the addition of a 15m stern section to incorporate DF propulsion and provide a lot more deck space to boot. Wärtsilä is delivering two new 6-cylinder W20DF gensets and a gas tank LNGPac which has to put it in the running for the latest engines.

Ostfriesland, which will also boast double rudder Schottel pods developing 15.5 knots, is due back on stream next June.