World’s first LPG-fuelled VLGC now undergoing sea trials with Wärtsilä fuel system
Sea and gas trials for a Very Large Gas Carrier (VLGC) featuring the technology group Wärtsilä’s pioneering liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) Fuel Supply System are successfully completed, the company said in its release. The ‘BW Gemini’, owned and operated by BW LPG a company registered at Oslo stock exchange, is the world’s first VLGC to be fuelled by LPG. The use of LPG as fuel reduces emissions of sulphur oxides (SOx) by some 97 percent, and is viewed as being an important step towards the decarbonisation of shipping. The sea trials commenced on October 20, 2020.
The ‘BW Gemini’ was built in 2015 and was retrofitted this year with Wärtsilä’s ground-breaking LPG Fuel Supply technology. Wärtsilä was designated as the system integrator for the conversion project. This is the first of 12 BW LPG ships to be retrofitted for operating on LPG fuel with the Wärtsilä system.
The Wärtsilä scope included the system engineering, the ship design for the conversion project, two 930 m3 fuel tanks with the pumps and fuel system, the pump skids, and the cargo handling system.
The Wärtsilä LPG Fuel Supply System is available as a stand-alone solution, or as an integrated element within the LPG cargo handling system.
Wärtsilä Gas Solutions is a market leader with innovative systems and lifecycle solutions for the gas value chain. Our main focus areas are handling of gas in seaborne transport (storage, fuel, transfer and BOG management), gas to power, liquefaction and biogas solutions. We help our customers on the journey towards a sustainable future through focus on lifecycle, innovation and digitalization.
Wärtsilä in brief:
Wärtsilä is a global leader in smart technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation, total efficiency and data analytics, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2019, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 5.2 billion with approximately 19,000 employees. The company has operations in over 200 locations in more than 80 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.
