Hapag-Lloyd will be the first shipping
company in the world when it retrofits is 15, 000 TEU ship “Sajir” to operate
using LNG. And, in future, the engine system will be able to function using
either of two types of fuel: LNG or low-sulphur fuel oil (LSFO).
The contract for the retrofitting was
signed at the end of last week with Hudong ZHONGHUA Shipbuilding (Group)
Co., LTD, says an official statement.
The conversion will be carried out in the
Shanghai-based shipyard Huarun Dadong Dockyard Co., Ltd.
During its time in the shipyard, the
ship’s fuel system and its existing heavy fuel oil-burning engine will be
converted into a dual fuel engine. The plan will be to operate the vessel using
LNG, but to also be able to use low-sulphur fuel oil (LSFO) as a backup. “By
converting the ‘Sajir’, we will be the first shipping company in the world to
retrofit a container ship of this size to LNG propulsion”, says Richard von
Berlepsch, Managing Director Fleet Management at Hapag-Lloyd. “By carrying out
this unprecedented pilot, we hope to learn for the future and to pave the way
for large ships to be retrofitted to use this alternative fuel.”
Using LNG in the shipping industry could
potentially reduce CO2 emissions by 15 to 30 percent and sulphur dioxide and
particulate matter by more than 90 percent.
The “Sajir” is one of the 17 vessels in
Hapag-Lloyd’s fleet that were originally designed to be LNG-ready. Its 16
sister ships are also technically prepared for retrofitting. With the
conversion of the “Sajir”, Hapag-Lloyd will be implementing a technological
option to reduce the environmental impact of large vessels.
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