Containerships is to use liquefied natural gas to fuel its 1,400-TEU reefer ships on shortsea European routes ahead of next year's regulation to limit sulphur content to 0.1 per cent in emission control areas (ECAs) in the North Sea and Baltic Sea regions.
The company plans to charter two dual-fuel containerships that burn conventional marine diesel oil and liquefied natural gas, ordered by owner and technical manager GNS Shipping/Nordic Hamburg. The ships are due to be delivered in 2016, reported Lloyd's List.
The vessel's generators will also use dual-fuel technology so that LNG can also supply the electricity for the reefer boxes.
"The new containerships will offer the most efficient and environmentally-friendly option for transporting containers by sea, and will not just meet but exceed environmental standards in the sulphur emission-control area," Containerships said.
Arkon Shipping is the charter broker and commercial manager of the vessels, built by Yangzhou Guoyu Shipbuilding, and the companies have options for two more ships of the same design.
Said Arkon Shipping director Ole Gabs: "Today, after 100 years of using IFO fuel as the main product for running ship engines, and with the upcoming introduction of new Seca regulations, we are facing a paradigm shift. We are confident that this project is the right step at the right time."
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