Wärtsilä teams with Cryopac on waterways LNG fueling

Wärtsilä LNGPac

FEBRUARY 16, 2015 — Wärtsilä has reached an agreement with Cryonorm Systems BV, a Netherlands based developer and supplier of cryogenic vaporizers, to form a consortium to deliver LNG systems for the European inland waterway market.

The aim is to create a standard LNG fuel system for inland waterway vessels that will achieve lower costs and reduce lead time to fit in with the short building time of these vessels.

Numerous types of vessels that operate on European rivers have been analyzed and five vessel types have been identified as potential targets for an LNG fuel system, with standards established for both newbuild and retrofit installations.The system that the consortium will offer is based on Wärtsilä’s new LNGPac gas fuel supply system. The specialized version of the new LNGPac will facilitate the use of clean burning LNG fuel by reducing costs and maintenance requirements, while also simplifying onboard installation.

Wärtsilä is an acknowledged industry leader in this field, and has led the way in making LNG a viable marine fuel. Cryonorm is a main supplier of LNG fueling systems for the European inland waterways market, and supplied the first ever such system for a dual-fuelled inland barge. By working together, Wärtsilä and Cryonorm will deliver a standardized and optimized LNGPac system capable of being integrated into an entire Wärtsilä LNG propulsion arrangement.

“We envisage good potential for LNG as a fuel for inland waterway vessels because of its environmental sustainability and competitive pricing. By sharing the expertise of Cryonorm with the in-house knowledge and vast experience that we have gained in LNG fueling systems, we expect to facilitate and accelerate the trend towards cleaner and more efficient inland waterway shipping,” says Yves Bui, General Manager, Fuel Gas Handling, Wärtsilä Ship Power.

The Wärtsilä LNGPac

Wärtsilä introduced the LNGPac in 2010. It comprises a complete system for LNG fuel handling that, when introduced, included the bunkering station, the LNG tank and Tank Connection Space with the required process equipment, the heating media skid, and the control and monitoring system. It is a unique system that has proven to be a valuable enabler of LNG fuel for marine applications with more than 30 LNGPac systems in operation or under construction. By upgrading the system into a more compact and technically advanced version, safety and reliability will be enhanced, while the capital and operating expenditures (CAPEX and OPEX) will be reduced. The new system has fewer moving parts, and therefore requires less maintenance. The compact design and advanced integration of components makes installation in the shipyard faster and easier.