LNG fuel trials at Zeebrugge port

The 4,700 cbm ethylene carrier Coral Star, owned by Anthony Veder, called the port of Zeebrugge for LNG fuel trials at the Euroservices Terminal earlier in September.

The vessel was delivered by Avic-Dingheng Shipbuilding yard in China and is Anthony Veder’s first ship with LNG tanks for cargo-independent dual fuel operation. The vessel will transport ethylene from a Sabic cracker at Teeside in the UK to destinations in Northern Europe, according to a statement by Hoppe Maritime Group

As it was decided to execute the final commissioning of the LNG fuel system in Zeebrugge, the vessel started her maiden trip to Zeebrugge on conventional fuel oil.

The final commissioning was done in two steps. First step was to condition and load the bunker tanks with LNG and secondly send gas to the engines for testing.

Liquefied nitrogen, delivered by Air Liquide, was used to purge the bunker tanks (reduce O2-content) and to cool down. After cooling down till -160°C the system was filled with LNG via two trucks delivered by Gasnor in order to start up the fuel gas system and send gas towards the engines.

The generated power was sent in the first step to a load bank ashore for testing and controlling. After testing all three engines, the vessel set sail for sea to start its regular trade, the statement added.

Press Release, October 1, 2014; Image: Hoppe Maritime Group