The international classification society Bureau Veritas is to class the first containership LNG-fuel conversion to be undertaken on one of 1,036 TEU container vessels operated by Germany-based Wessel Reederei.
The project is sponsored by the German Ministry of Transport and partners are Wessels Reederei, MAN Diesel & Turbo, TGE Marine Gas Engineering, SMB Naval Architects & Consultants and Bureau Veritas.
The vessel in question is the MV Wes Amelie, which has a MAN 8 L 48/60B engine driving a controlled pitch propeller via gearing. MAN will convert the existing engine to a 51/60 DF dual-fuel engine.
The ship’s LNG tank of some 500 cum will be located in the fore part of the vessel to limit the loss of cargo capacity. Tecnitas, the consulting arm of Bureau Veritas, is carrying out risk analyses for the new LNG as fuel system and operations like LNG bunkering.
Following the conversion, which will take place in 2017, the containership is set to meet Tier III of Marpol Annex 6 regulation.
“Our experience with this kind of conversion on small scale LNG vessels helps the owners and other partners to move to confidently to this new and cleaner fuel,” Philippe Donche-Gay, President of Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore Division, said.
“With the conversion to LNG we and our partners showcase our technical expertise and demonstrate practical environmental solutions for the merchant marine industry,” Shipowner Gerd Wessels said.