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DECEMBER 18, 2015 — General Dynamics NASSCO reports that on December 11 itsuccessfully completed bunkering of liquefied natural gas (LNG) for TOTE Maritime’s Perla Del Caribe, the world’s second containership to be
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The scope of MAN Diesel & Turbo’s contract includes twelve MAN 8L51/60DF four-stroke engines and twelve MAN SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) systems.
MAN Diesel & Turbo says that the total power output of the engines is some 96 MW, meaning that this will be one of the largest engine installations ever seen aboard a commercial ship.
The vessel will be the first in its size range to feature dual-fuel technology and, on completion, will be the world’s largest vessel of its kind.
Engine delivery is scheduled for first quarter 2017 with vessel delivery due from the shipbuilder in 2018.
The highly efficient MAN Diesel & Turbo package ensures full fuel-flexibility and will meets NOx Tier III emission limits at all times – whether the vessel is within Tier III zones or not – both during operation on LNG and during operation on MGO with the help of the SCR system.
MAN Diesel & Turbo says that the engines maintain their high efficiency – including during SCR operation – through integrated and customised control strategies.
“The entire project has special requirements in all aspects – it is absolutely a customized solution and a notable feather in our cap to have been selected as propulsion-system supplier for this unique vessel,” says Lex Nijsen – Head of Four-Stroke Marine – MAN Diesel & Turbo. “This is not just the largest, dual-fuel propulsion system ever featured on a single vessel, it also ensures Tier-III compliance in all operational scenarios, whether in gas- or MGO-modes, and whether within or without NOx Tier III-controlled areas. The solution MAN Diesel & Turbo is delivering to Sembcorp Marine and Heerema is reliable, efficient, flexible and meets the highest safety and environmental standards.”
A key determinant in the choosing of the 51/60DF engine was its ability to fulfill the particularly high load-ramp requirements demanded by the NSCV’s two giant Huisman 10,000 ton cranes in both diesel and gas modes while maintaining its efficiency.
Another key characteristic of the four-stroke unit is its ability to operate at 100% MCR and above, in gas mode, and to switch smoothly and seamlessly from gas to liquid-fuel operation (and vice versa) at full load without any fluctuation in output or speed. These are all essential features to satisfy the SSCV’s vital DP-3 (dynamic positioning) station-keeping requirement.
Furthermore, with the aim of becoming the most environmentally friendly crane vessel ever built, operation will be on ultra-low sulfur fuel, a fuel type that the 51/60DF readily handles.
MAN Diesel & Turbo’s SCR system provides an integrated solution for its entire portfolio of four-stroke engines and serves as a standard solution to meet Tier III emission limits.
The MAN SCR solution is a modular system, with the built-in flexibility to adjust to the NSCV’s particular requirements such as its long exhaust-gas lines, the distance between the SCR and engine. Nor does the SCR system negatively affect load-ramp requirements. In this respect, MAN’s SCR is very much a customized solution.
With a length of 220 m and a width of 102 m, the NSCV will be the world’s largest crane vessel. Despite the vessel’s large dimensions, optimally locating the engines and SCR systems aboard proved a challenge, one which MAN Diesel & Turbo and the flexibility of the SCR system helped resolve.
The vessel features four engine rooms, each with three MAN 8L51/60DF engines. The integration of SCR and engine-control system enables the SCR to be operated at a relatively low exhaust-gas temperature, which is the basis for a high engine efficiency, and enables the SCR to be positioned further away from engines. In consequence, no compromises have to be made with the vessel layout and the SCR systems will be positioned under the ship’s funnel in a vertical arrangement, some 80 m away from the engines.
“We have been looking at ways we could help our customers by accelerating the survey process,” says Cezary Galinski, Manager of the DNV GL – Maritime classification flying squad based in Gdansk. “Camera equipped drones are now much more widely available and affordable, and by using them for a first screening we can identify areas that require closer inspection quickly and without extensive staging, which can be both costly and time-consuming.”
Using drones to visually check the condition of remote structural components has the potential to significantly reduce survey times and staging costs, while at the same time improving safety for the surveyors.
The tests used a camera-equipped drone to visually evaluate structural components through video streamed to a tablet. One surveyor operated the drone, while a second checked the video feed in real time. The stream was also recorded for review and documentation purposes.
Equipped with a powerful headlight, the drone was able to produce a video of sufficient quality for initial inspection purposes. In the event any damage is detected, a traditional close-up survey may still be required.
“We used a modified off-the-shelf drone for our tests,” says Mr. Galinski. “Because there are currently no drones formally certified as explosion-proof commercially available, we performed a risk assessment. Of course, before the drone operation started, we also ensured that the cargo tank was gas-free and certified for safe entry.”
“Our next step is to work with a more advanced tailor-made drone in early 2016,” says Mr. Galinski. “We are also developing a special guideline for performing drone-based surveys. This could open the way to remote or even autonomous inspections being carried out as part of our survey scheme in the near future.”
DNV GL has a longstanding R&D program working on developing advanced inspection technologies, including the IRIS system which can automatically associate photos onboard a ship with a 3D model of the vessel’s structure.
“Using a drone in combination with a system like IRIS could be very beneficial to our customers,” says Dr. Pierre C. Sames, Director of Group Technology and Research. “We have already demonstrated the ability to place images within a 3D model and furthermore to assess the individual findings. These are the first steps towards an automated survey process which might include using a drone to make the initial survey, taking the images generated and then running them through an algorithm to determine the hull condition.”
The barge is under construction at Conrad Shipyard in Orange, TX, which has just hosted a tour where 200 participants at a USCG Liquefied Gas Senior Executive Forum got a chance to see its progress.
Hull construction of the 2,200 m3 barge is near complete and abrasive blasting and painting is scheduled to begin in the coming weeks.
The barge’s LNG Mark III Flex cargo containment system, designed by Gaztransport & Technigaz (GTT), is scheduled to be installed immediately following the February launch.
The Bristol Harbor Group designed and ABS classed vessel will be outfitted with a 20 m bunker mast (custom fabricated by Conrad under GTT license) that will enable the barge to service a wide variety of vessels. It will also be equipped with six DH Industries StirLNG-4 cryocoolers sized to handle 125% of the vessel’s boil-off gas, along with other systems specifically designed for this vessel’s LNG bunkering application to deliver the coldest LNG to the end user.
The barge will be delivered to Jacksonville, FL in the third quarter of 2016 to service TOTE’s newbuild Marlin class LNG fueled container vessels and other LNG fueled vessels in and around the Port of Jacksonville and the Southeast.
CME is partnered with WesPac Midstream LLC (WesPac) and together with Pivotal LNG (Pivotal), a subsidiary of AGL Resources, will own and operate JAX LNG, a small scale liquefaction facility in the port of Jacksonville. The plant is planned to be commissioned during the first quarter of 2017 and will be capable of providing LNG to locations up and down the Florida and Georgia coasts.