Wärtsilä to power 15 barges with LNG

Wärtsilä has announced that it has received a contract to power 15 inland waterway barges, which will be chartered by Shell Trading Rotterdam.

The barges, which are being built for Plouvier Transport N.V., will be operate primarily on LNG. Wärtsilä will also supply other propulsion equipment and its LNGPac fuel gas handling system.

The full Wärtsilä scope of supply for each barge comprises a 6-cylinder Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel main engine, a gearbox, an LNGPac fuel gas handling system (developed in close cooperation with Cryonorm), and a Wärtsilä propeller with an HR nozzle. The equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yards commencing in June 2016.

The ships' hulls are under construction at the VEKA Shipyard CENTROMOST in Poland and outfitting will be carried out at VEKA Shipyard Werkendam. The contract with Wärtsilä was concluded in December 2015.

Shell will utilise the 110 m long barges to support its growing operations in the ARA (Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp) and Rhinetrack (Germany/Switzerland) regions.

Bram Kruyt, Director Inland Waterways, Wärtsilä, said: "Wärtsilä's total solution capabilities, and its unmatched experience in LNG fuel machinery and systems for marine applications, are providing leading ship owners and operators with the added value they require. We salute everyone involved in this important project for their support in making inland waterway shipping more environmentally sustainable."

Edited from press release by Callum O'Reilly

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/04012016/wartsila-to-power-15-barges-with-lng-1818/