By
Rebecca Gibson |
Polish shipyard Remontowa is set to build the first liquefied natural gas (LNG) ferry designed for domestic trade in the European Union (EU).
Designed and processed for EU tender by OSK-ShipTech, the vessel will be classed by Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and operate under the Danish flag.
“Being a front runner is always a challenge, but the owner, Danish flag administration, designer and yard have all worked together with class to arrive at the best solutions,” said Claus Winter Graugaard, DNV’s business development leader in Denmark.
The 600-passenger ferry is owned by Samsø Municipality – which governs Samsø, Denmark’s first renewable energy island – and is one of the 30 LNG-fuelled newbuilds ordered for delivery within the next two years.
It is scheduled to debut on 1 October 2014 and will operate between the island of Samsø and Jutland on the Danish mainland.
“The new LNG-fuelled ferry owned and operated by the municipality will fit into the island’s environmental profile,” said Samsø’s Mayor Jørn Nissen. “So far, we’ve wiped out our carbon footprint by using a combination of wind and solar power and biofuel. Replacing heavy fuel oil with liquefied natural gas will remove all sulphur from the new ferry’s exhaust gas, reducing over three quarters of nitrogen emissions and also reducing the carbon dioxide emissions significantly.”