Van Oord, an international dredging, marine engineering and offshore projects company, has ordered the construction of a new crane vessel. This vessel, which will be named Werkendam, will be Van Oord’s first Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) -powered vessel. It will generally be deployed to Netherlands-based projects executed by subsidiary Paans Van Oord.
The 68.4 m Werkendam, with hopper capacity of 700 m3, is being built by Neptune in Hardinxveld-Giessendam, the Netherlands. It will take about twelve months to build the crane vessel. After completion, the vessel will be able to run on LNG, with gas oil as backup. With a 38 m3 tank on the aft deck, the Werkendam will be able to store enough LNG on board to sail and operate for fourteen days without bunkering LNG.
Thanks to smart features, the vessel will use less fuel and emit less CO2 without compromising operational production. The Werkendam will be equipped with various sensors and energy storage systems. The sensors will monitor the energy consumption of almost all of the equipment and systems on board, which will even make it possible to store and reuse overcapacity, for example when operating the crane. The data produced by these monitoring systems will provide crew members with an insight into energy consumption, enabling them to respond appropriately.
Energy efficiency is one of the top items on the company’s sustainability agenda, hence its move toward adoption of alternative fuels, such as LNG and biofuel. Operating the Werkendam, will enable the company to gain experience operating an LNG-powered vessel and to assess the related benefits.
At NGV Global 2017 in Rotterdam, from March 20-23, the conference program features several discussions on the greater adoption of LNG as a marine fuel.
(Source: Van oord)
