Vessels powered by LNG have sulfur dioxide emissions that are close to zero, and nitrogen oxides are significantly reduced. Other emissions such as heavy metals, particles and soot are also significantly lower. However, LNG is still a fossil fuel. Therefore, batteries can further reduce the ships’ ecological footprint.
In 2016, Wallenius Marine delivered two LNG ECO class vessels to the car transport company UECC (United European Car Carriers) owned by Wallenius Lines and NYK. The vessels won first and second place in the Bremenport Greenports Award 2018 for being the cleanest ships arriving at one of Europe’s busiest ports.
Wallenius Marine is now leading the construction of three more LNG vessels to UECC. This time the vessels will also be equipped with batteries.
“We are proud to once again be entrusted with delivering vessels to the UECC with the highest available environmental standards” says Urban Lishajko, Head of Ship Design, Newbuilding & Innovation at Wallenius Marine.
The vessels will be 169 meters long, 28 meters wide and can load 3,600 cars on ten decks. The battery propulsion is used to reduce load variations on the main engine and will also drive the bow thruster, which means a more efficient use of the auxiliary motors. All in all, this reduces both fuel consumption and the environmental impact.
“This order is another step in our commitment to cleaner shipping,” says Glenn Edvardsen, CEO of UECC in a press release. “Our experience with LNG duel-fuel vessels has been good, and we want to keep moving forward to expand our sustainable fleet.”
