BV to class ethane-powered ship
Published by Callum O'Reilly,
Senior Editor
LNG Industry,
Bureau Veritas has announced that it is to class the first ethane-powered ship, JS Ineos Insight. This is the first in a series of eight 27 500 m3 multi-gas Dragon-class vessels being built at Sinopacific, China, for Denmark’s Evergas. The vessel is configured for transport of ethane, LPG or LNG, and it has the option for ethane, LNG and conventional diesel power.
Martial Claudepierre, Business Development Manager at Bureau Veritas, said: “The ability to burn ethane as well as LNG to power these unique vessels is a major step forward in the use of clean fuels. It means the vessels can use cargo gas during transits to provide a clean and clear commercial and environmental advantage. We have worked with Evergas and the Danish Maritime Authority to verify and ensure that the use of ethane is at least as safe as required by the IGC and will not impair the engine compliance with MARPOL Annex VI.”
Originally, the vessels were designed with a dual-fuel LNG/diesel power utilising two 1000 m3 LNG tanks on deck powering two Wärtsilä 6L20 DF main engines and two shaft generators.
The vessels are designed for intial transportation of ethane from the US to the UK Ineos refineries, so the decision was taken to enable the ships to be powered by ethane to use their cargo gas.
The ability to also burn ethane was added to allow use of the cargo gas as the vessels are destined initially for transport of ethane from the US to the UK Ineos refineries.
Claudepierre added: “Using ethane required extra engine room ventilation and additional gas detection, plus modifications to the main engines including a lower compression ratio, different turbocharger nozzles and de-rating of the engine to cope with the lower knocking resistance of ethane. But the gains in not carrying an additional fuel and in environmental performance from being able to burn clean fuel throughout the voyage are significant.”
Edited from press release by Callum O'Reilly
Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/small-scale-lng/16092015/bv-to-class-ethane-powered-ship-1298/
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