The first single fuel LNG ferry in the Netherlands, Willem Barentsz, has won the international ‘Shippax Technology and Design Award 2021’.
Dutch ferry operator Rederij Doeksen’s first LNG-powered ferry Willem Barentsz debuted back in July 2020. It is a BMT-designed 70-meter vessel featuring Rolls-Royce twin MTU gas engines.
Doeksen claims this is the world’s first ships with single-fuel LNG engines that can drive a fixed propeller directly.
The ship received the Shippax award for technology and design accordingly. To illustrate, the jury paid its compliments:
“Operating in the shallow Wadden Sea, a UNESCO World Heritage site, ecological sustainability is at the heart of the design of (…) Willem Barentsz. Powered by two 1,492 kilowatts MTU high-speed LNG engines driving Veth azimuthing thrusters, a 46 cubic metres LNG tank is located in each hull.”
The Shippax Awards
The awards wards were launched in 1996 as a means to stimulate innovative solutions and trendsetters. In other words, they want to promote noteworthy design features on newly-delivered ro-pax and ro-ro vessels.
The announcement and hand-over of the Shippax Awards 2021 took place at the Shippax Ferry Conference, held onboard Pearl Seaways from 31 August to 2 September 2021.
This year’s winners also include:
Meanwhile, the awarded vessel’s sister ship Willem de Vlamingh joined the fleet in February 2021.