Florida-based Crowley Maritime Corporation ordered multiple main and auxiliary dual-fuel engines for efficient, emissions-friendly U.S. – Puerto Rico-trade ConRo ships.
Each vessel will be powered by an MAN B&W 8S70ME-GI8.2 main engine and 3 MAN 9L28/32DF auxiliary engines.
The ConRo ships – with container Lift-On/Lift-Off (LO/LO) and Roll-On/Roll- Off (RO/RO) – will be built by VT Halter Marine of Pascagoula, Mississippi. They will be named ‘El Coqui’ and ‘Taino’, and are scheduled for delivery in the second and fourth quarters of 2017, respectively.
The vessels will be two of the world’s first LNG-powered ConRo ships, designed to travel at speeds up to 22 knots, and carry various sized containers, along with hundreds of vehicles in enclosed, weather-tight car decking.
Crowley states that the vessels will offer customers fast ocean-transit times and, being Dowered by LNG, will set a new standard for environmentally responsible shipping.
Tom Crowley, company chairman and CEO , said: “Our investment in these new ships – the first of their kind in the world – is significant” He continued: “We are developing and using best-available technology that allows for improved emissions and alternative fuel selection”.
Crowley selected the high-pressure, Diesel-cycle ME-GI engines due to their high efficiency and power concentration. The ME-GI’s ability to avoid derating, and its negligible methane slip, also contributed to its selection.
The new, double-hulled ConRo ships will be 219.5 m long, 32.3 m wide (beam), have a deep draught of 10 m, and an approximate deadweight capacity of 26,500 metric tonnes. Cargo capacity will be approximately 2,400 teu, with additional space for nearly 400 vehicles.
Crowley reports that the newbuildings will reduce the amount of CO2 emissions attributable to each container by approximately 38%. Additionally, the ships will meet or exceed all regulatory requirements and have the CLEAN notation, which requires limitation of operational emissions and discharges, as well as the Green Passport, both issued by classification society Det Norske Veritas.
[mappress] LNG World News Staff, January 10, 2014; Image: Wärtsilä