This specialized LNG bunker vessel is a pioneering new design. It will have a capacity to carry 6500 cubic meters of LNG fuel, and will be highly efficient and maneuverable. It will be able to load from big or small terminals and to bunker a broad variety of vessels. We worked closely with our customers on the specifications of this exciting new bunker vessel and will use cutting-edge technology. Shell is proud to be leading in the development of LNG fuel in shipping.

—Dr. Grahaeme Henderson, Vice President of Shell Shipping & Maritime

The new Shell vessel will be based at the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and will load from the new break bulk terminal and jetty to be constructed by the Gas Access to Europe (Gate) terminal. It will also be sea-going and able, therefore, to bunker customers at other locations.

It will be powered by three 8-cylinder Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel engines capable of operating on either gas or diesel fuels. The engines are scheduled for delivery in spring 2016.

This new specialized vessel is an important step towards LNG becoming the fuel of choice for shipping in Europe, and Wärtsilä is pleased and honored to cooperate with Shell and STX in this project. LNG eases compliance with both the new and anticipated future IMO environmental regulations, and we are proud that our development of technologies throughout the gas chain is of increasing value to the marine sector.

—Aaron Bresnahan, Vice President, Sales, Wärtsilä Ship Power

Wärtsilä has been at the forefront of the trend towards LNG fueled shipping. Its dual-fuel engine technology and gas supply and control systems have enabled the viability of the use of gas as a fuel for ships. The environmental and economic advantages that LNG has over conventional diesel fuels are seen as important to the future development of the global shipping industry.

Wärtsilä launched its dual-fuel technology in the early 1990s for use in land-based power plant applications. The first marine installation came a decade later. The technology enables the engine to be operated on either natural gas, light fuel oil (LFO), or heavy fuel oil (HFO), and switching between fuels can take place seamlessly during operation, without loss of power or speed. This ensures safety and continuous installation operability. Wärtsilä DF engines are designed to have the same output regardless of the fuel used.

When operating in gas mode, the nitrogen oxide (NO_x) emissions are at least 85% below those specified in the current IMO regulations, and CO₂ emissions are some 25% less than those of a conventional marine engine running on diesel fuel. Additionally, the sulphur oxide (SO_x) and particle emissions are negligible at almost zero percent.