07NOV2019 - NEWS - MAN-Powered Container Ship To Use Synthetic Natural Gas From Renewable Electrical Energy

First dual-fuel retrofit now set to be first vessel globally to use SNG derived from renewable energy in furtherance of Maritime Energy Transition

MAN Energy Solutions and Wessels Marine GmbH said the Wes Amelie, a feeder container ship retrofitted in 2017 to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) will use liquefied synthetic natural gas (SNG) produced from renewable electrical energy as drop-in fuel.

The companies are cooperating on the project with Nauticor, the LNG transportation company, and Unifeeder, the charter company.

To demonstrate that SNG can successfully be used as shipping fuel, 20 of the 120 tons of LNG that the Wes Amelie typically uses per round trip will be replaced by climate-neutral SNG. As a result, CO2 emissions are expected to decline by 56 tons for this trip.

Automobile manufacturer Audi’s Power-to-Gas facility in Werlte, where a liquefaction plant is currently under construction, will provide the SNG, which will be generated by wind energy. The SNG trip will take place after the completion of the liquefaction plant in Q2 2020.

The ship, owned and managed by Wessels Reederei (Haren/Ems), had its MAN 8L48/60B main engine retrofitted to its current, four-stroke MAN 51/60DF unit that enables dual-fuel operation – the first such conversion of its type. The announcement was made at the Europort marine trade show in Rotterdam.