Presentation of the LNG Hybrid barge in Copenhagen, Rostock and Kiel
The first season of the LNG Hybrid Barge at the port of Hamburg was successful. In October, the environmentally-friendly innovation from Becker Marine Systems will be presented in three other port cities as part of the LNG Hybrid Barge Baltic Tour. In addition, a "Memorandum of Understanding" for operating an LNG Hybrid Barge at the port of Rotterdam has been signed.
During the Baltic Tour from 7th to 23rd October 2015, Becker Marine Systems will be presenting the LNG Hybrid Barge in Copenhagen, Rostock, and Kiel. The barge works like a floating power plant that can supply low-emission power to cruise ships during their layovers at port. In each of the three cities, a press conference will be held, and it will be possible to visit the barge, christened the HUMMEL, daily between 9 am and 6 pm. Guided tours are possible after prior registration at [email protected].
The schedule for the LNG Hybrid Barge Baltic Tour is as follows:
7th to 9th October 2015: Copenhagen, Nordre Toldbod
15th to 16th October 2015: Rostock, Cruise Terminal
22nd to 23rd October 2015: Kiel, Ostseekai, Liegeplatz 28
With the assistance of a tugboat, the LNG Hybrid Barge will leave the port of Hamburg for the first time in October. Since spring, it has supplied environmentally friendly power with an output of 7.5 megawatts to the AIDAsol cruise ship during each of its layovers in Hamburg. "With the Baltic Tour, we would also like to draw the attention of other cities to the environmentally-friendly technology made possible by the use of the low-emission fuel," said Dirk Lehmann, Becker Marine Systems' Managing Director.
The barge, developed and operated by the Hamburg-based company, works like a floating power plant that, via a gas container filled with 15 tonnes of LNG ("Liquefied Natural Gas"), generates and transfers power to the ship. In doing so, the LNG Hybrid Barge emits no sulphur dioxide or soot compared to conventional marine diesel with 0.1% sulphur content. Emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide are also significantly reduced.
"After the first months of use, the LNG Hybrid Barge is already considered one of the cleanest options for supplying shore-side power to cruise ships and is making a significant contribution toward improved air quality at port cities," said Lehmann. In the future, Becker Marine Systems would like to offer environmentally-friendly LNG technology not only to cruise ships but also to container ships, bulkers, and tankers.
Another step in this direction was taken on 30th September 2015. On this day, Becker Marine Systems signed a "Memorandum of Understanding" with Netherlands-based shipping company KOTUG for the operation of an LNG Hybrid Barge. Accordingly, the new barge could already be supplying ships with low-emission power at the port of Rotterdam starting in 2017.
Hamburg-based Becker Marine Systems is the market leader for high-performance rudders and energy-saving maneuvering technology solutions for any type of ship. Becker's products are well established on the world market and represent the top choice for both super tankers as well as container ships, passenger ferries, large cruise ships, and luxury yachts.
This article was originally published on Marine & Industrial Report newspaper Vol 37 No.5 Issue last October 31,2015.
