Inland • Coastal • offshore • deepsea
LLOYD’S REGISTER to class CNG-fueled Dutch ferry A NEW ECO-FRIENDLY double-ended Dutch ferry that will run on Compress Natural Gas (CNG) as fuel will be classed by Lloyd’s Register. The 1,750-passenger, 350-car ferr y, named Texelstroom, will operate between the Dutch islands of Texel and Den Helder. The ferry will combine the use of different innovative technologies and sources providing the operator, Royal N.V. Texels Eigen Stoomboot Onderneming (TESO), with a vessel that runs on efficient power and has a reduced environmental impact. Texelstroom will be built at Spain’s LaNaval Shipyard. Delivery is expected at end of 2015. The ferry will have two independent engine rooms—one will be fitted with two ABC diesel engines; and the other with two ABC dual fuel engines. The propulsion package will be completed with two Rolls Royce azimuth propellers installed on each end of the ship. The ferry will travel at an operating speed of ten knots and a maximum speed of 15 knots. The ferry will operate mainly on natural gas stored in two batteries of CNG bottles installed on the top deck. The advanced energy management system will also feature electric batteries. Rounding out its green energy sources is over 700 m2 of solar panels. The design of the ferry was supported by the European Union’s “I.Transfer” Program, which aims to make ferry transport freely accessible and sustainable. The ferr y will be Ice Class and feature a strengthened hull. It will also have a notation for Passenger and Crew Accommodation Comfort (PCAC). “Winning the contract for this highly innovative ferry demonstrates LR’s ability to help shipowners manage the introduction of new technology with confidence,” says John Hicks, VP for Global Passenger Ships, Lloyd’s Register. “Our teams in Spain and the Netherlands helped the client in delivering solutions to the engineering and regulatory challenges involved in this exciting contract. This is a robust design with the ability to operate in safety and efficiency in all conditions.”
MOL TAKES DELIVERY of state-of-the-art coal carrier JA PA N’S MITSUI O. S.K . Lines, Ltd. recently took delivery of the 91,094 metric tonne coal carrier Soma Maru, from the Mizushima Shipyard of Sanoyas Shipbuilding Corporation. Jointly developed by Sanoyas Shipyard and MOL, the Soma Maru has an overall length of 235m, beam of 43m, and a depth of 20m.
www.smsllc.com
The state-of-the-art coal carrier features a wide-beam/shallow-draft shape and various safety and energy-saving specifications. It is a sister vessel to the Akatsuki, which was delivered in February of this year. The ship will play a vital role in transporting coal for Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc’s thermal power plants under a new longterm consecutive voyage service contract.
www.classnk.com
August 2014 MARINE LOG 9