Van Oord’s LNG-powered crane vessel starts first job

Dutch dredging specialist Van Oord said its LNG-powered vessel Werkendam started work on its first project.

The world’s first LNG-powered crane vessel is carrying out maintenance work in the port of Rotterdam, Van Oord said in a statement.

The deployment of the vessel has been supported by the Port of Rotterdam Authority.

“We are encouraging the transition from fuel oil to LNG as a fuel for shipping. It is good that operational ships are taking the lead,” said Ronald Paul, COO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority.

The Werkendam is also the first Van Oord vessel to run entirely on LNG. With a storage tank on the aft deck, the Werkendam can store enough LNG to sail and operate for fourteen days without refueling.