Instead of waiting for the State to build an LNG infrastructure and taking the pioneering role, US-companies like Crowley Maritime make LNG as a ship fuel become reality on their own
This makes the USA one of the early movers in LNG-operation at a larger scale. While LNG technology is[ds_preview] also being used in Northern Europe mainly in smaller coastal vessels and ferries, the Americans try it on larger commercial projects.
In 2015 operator TOTE took into service the world’s first gas-powered containership newbuilds in its Jacksonville–Puerto Rico trade. For its Alaskan trades the same company has started the conversion of several vessels to LNG. Offshore operator Harvey Gulfs has two new PSVs running on gas and is awaiting delivery of four more ships of that type in the near future.
Crowley Maritime, a shipping logistics company based in Jacksonville, Florida, operates a fleet of about 300 ships – RoRo, LoLo, ATBs, barges and tugs. In line with the company’s »EcoStewardship« strategy Crowley has decided to adopt LNG as a technology of the future. In October and December 2015, Crowley Maritime took delivery of the first two of its four new Jones Act product tankers for US coastal transportation of crude and products. The vessels were constructed by Philly shipyard and are the first tankers classed LNG-ready Level 1 by class society ABS. This means, Crowley could convert the ships to gas-powered propulsion in the future. Level 1 is the first of three LNG-ready levels the ABS awards and means a concept design review, stating the vessel design is basically suitable for a gas propulsion system.
»Ohio« and sister ship »Texas« are 600 ft long, have deadweight tonnage of 50,000 and a capacity of 330,000 bbl for petroleum or chemicals. The design is based on a Hyundai Mipo Dockyards (HMD) design, construction management services are provided by Crowley’s naval architecture and marine engineering subsidiary, Jensen Maritime, based in Seattle. The ships feature various fuel efficiency technologies and flexible cargo capacity. An electronically controlled two-stroke MAN B&W S50ME-B9.2 (Tier II) serves as main engine.
Committed to gas
While an LNG-ready vessel is far from being gas-powered, Crowley made a greater commitment with another order. In the second and fourth quarters of 2017, respectively, Crowley expects delivery of the world’s first gas-powered ConRo ships. The two »Commitment« class vessels, »El Coqui« and Taíno«, are currently under construction at VT Halter Marine in Pascagoula, Mississippi. The ships will have a capacity of 2,400TEU and are designed to carry 53 ft containers. A RoRo garage provides additional space for 400 vehicles. They will be 219.5m long, 32.3m wide at a draft of 10m and will have a deadweight capacity of 26,500t.
The »Commitment« class was designed by Wärtsilä Ship Design in cooperation with Jensen Maritime, a Seattle-based naval architecture and marine engineering subsidiary of Crowley Maritime. The vessel’s MAN B&W 8S70ME-GI8.2 main engine as well as the three MAN 9L28/32DF auxiliary engines will be fuelled by LNG.
In October 2015 the first LNG tanks were installed. They feature a vacuum insulated, stainless steel double wall and are 110 ft long at a diameter of 20.6 ft. The capacity is sufficient for at least two round-trip voyages between Jacksonville, FL, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The hold time of these Type-C tanks of 58 days is much longer than the eight to ten days hold-time of conventional LNG tanks. The tanks were manufactured by INOXCVA in India for TGE Marine Gas Engineering in Bonn, Germany, who supplied them to VT Halter Marine.
Bunkering solutions
What is most important for establishing LNG as a ship fuel is an adequate infrastructure. In Europe, this is the crucial point in the view of many shipowners, requesting the administrations and ports to provide bunkering solutions before building LNG ships. The other side says it needs demand before developing an infrastructure. Crowley just builds its own infrastructure. The company recently announced a partnership with supplier Eagle LNG Partners for the construction of a new natural gas liquefaction facility in Jacksonville. Operator TOTE already successfully bunkered LNG via truck transfer in Jacksonville for its »Marlin« class vessels, the first gas-powered new containerships.
The new plant will have the capacity to produce approximately 200,000 gal of fuel per day. The facility will not only serve Crowley but also other possible customers. Cosmodyne will build the liquefaction facility for Eagle LNG that will be operational in 2017.
For areas without a proper infrastructure or for short-term needs of LNG, Jensen Maritime in mid-2015 presented several concepts for LNG bunker barges. A first concept was an Articulated Tug Barge offering mobile bunkering solutions from its 4,000 gal. LNG tank. Another concept is the conversion of an existing barge with an above-deck LNG tank. The third design is a new purpose-built bunker barge that offers greater carrying capacity with tanks sitting inside the barge.
Felix Selzer
