The world’s first new liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fuelled tanker has been delivered to Deen Shipping subsidiary Argonon Shipping B.V. in Rotterdam. The delivery of MT Argonon, a 6,100-deadweight-tonne dual-fuelled chemical tanker, represents a significant milestone for the shipping company in its pursuit of cleaner transport solutions.
Lloyd’s Register, which classified the new tanker, helped the owners and regulators to identify their risks, meet regulatory requirements and overcome the technical challenges for the precedent-setting tanker.
“This has been a great project and it is a significant first,” said Piet Mast, Lloyd’s Register’s marine business manager for Western Europe. “We had to look carefully at the risks and worked closely with the owner and the regulators to ensure that they understood, and were comfortable with, the technical solutions that were developed.”
The dual-fuel system is designed to burn an 80/20 mixture of natural gas and diesel, reducing sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides and particulate-matter emissions, as well as reducing the greenhouse gas emissions from tank to flue.
The LNG is stored in a transport tank located on deck, supplied by Cryonorm Projects, based near Amsterdam.
Along with Lloyd’s Register, the Netherlands Shipping Inspectorate approved the vessel’s LNG system for operation in the Netherlands and the ship has taken on its first load of LNG bunker fuel.
Argonon has entered service and was to start operating with gas following some final main-engine tests.
Built by Rotterdam’s Shipyard Trico B.V., the tanker is 110 metres long and propelled by two dual-fuel engines.