Spotted: First Ice Class 1A Super LNG Carrier Named in Turku

Coral EnergICE, the first LNG carrier holding the Ice Class 1A Super, was named at the Port of Turku today.

The 18,000 cbm vessel, designed and constructed to operate in the Baltic Sea, was delivered earlier this month to its owner, the Netherlands-based shipping company Anthony Veder, by Neptun Werft in Rostock, Germany.

To be operated by Skandinavian LNG company Skangas, the vessel will be bringing LNG to Skangas LNG terminal in Pori and the joint venture Manga LNG terminal Tornio in Finland.

“The new vessel supports our goal to develop the Nordic LNG infrastructure and gas market,” Kimmo Rahkamo, Skangas CEO, said.

As explained, the vessel’s hull is reinforced to break through one-meter thick ice with the engines and generators designed to give the vessel extra power when sailing through thick ice and harsh winter conditions. Furthermore, this vessel is equipped with a dual fuel engine. It uses LNG boil-off gas as a fuel for its main and auxiliary engines, making the vessel fully compliant with future emission regulations.

The newbuilding also features on deck innovations such as the cap on deck, which protects the equipment and prevents icing outside. The vessel also has additional shelters on deck with warmer platforms for the crew’s feet. Heat tracing on the doors ensures that they will always open, no matter how harsh the conditions might be, according to Skangas.

“Coral EnergICE is the third LNG carrier we have delivered to our long-term customer Skangas in the past five years. The high-tech vessel is capable of serving the northern Finnish harbor of Tornio all year around, even when temperatures reach as low as -25 Celsius degrees,” Jan Valkier, Anthony Veder CEO, commented.

Coral EnergICE, which flies the Dutch flag, has a length of 164 meters and a service speed of 15.5 knots.

This is the second LNG carrier built by Neptun Werft shipyard for Anthony Veder. The shipbuilder delivered the first vessel, Coral Energy, to its owner in 2012.

Coral EnergICE’s construction was funded with the first sustainable shipping loan, fully certified in accordance with the Clean Shipping Index Guidelines by Bureau Veritas. Due to the LNG capabilities of Coral EnergICE, the Business Sector’s NOx fund has granted support for the development of this vessel.