Rotterdam’s Shipyard Trico BV has delivered the world’s first LNG-fuelled tanker newbuilding to Deen Shipping for operation by its subsidiary, Argonon Shipping BV. The 6,100dwt chemical tanker, designed to burn an 80/20 mixture of natural gas and diesel, is propelled by two Caterpillar DF3512 engines, each providing 1,115KW of power.
Lloyd’s Register and the Netherlands Shipping Inspectorate approved the vessel’s LNG system for operation within the Netherlands, while Deen is still securing regulatory approvals from the Central Commission for Navigating on the Rhine, and the UN-ECE ADN Safety Committee for navigation beyond the Netherlands.
LNG fuel is stored in a tank located on the main deck and gives enough capacity to allow the 110m vessel to transit from Rotterdam to Basel and back without bunkering. ‘This has been a great project and it is a significant first,’ said Piet Mast, Lloyd’s Register’s Marine Business Manager for Western Europe. ‘The nature of inland waterways traffic, which passes through or close to major population centres, makes LNG an attractive way to reduce harmful local emissions.’
