HPP Insight News Brief for Feb. 26, 2015 – First U.S. LNG bunker barge for TOTE, Harvey shares engine strategy

America’s first barge for liquefied natural gas bunkering has been ordered for service with TOTE, Inc., initially in support of LNG-fueled shipping in Tacoma, Wash. The contract is with Conrad Orange Shipyard, Inc., a division of Conrad Shipyard, LLC, says a release from fuel supplier WesPac Midstream and its finance affiliate, Clean Marine Energy.

Harvey Gulf International Marine has achieved two more milestones for its pioneering Harvey Energy – the first U.S. flag vessel built to operate primarily on LNG, and the first of a fleet of at least six. Separately, a key executive explains why Harvey Gulf ordered the historic vessels with their engines, LNG fuel and propulsion, and control and communication systems on an ‘owner-furnished’ basis.

A dedicated natural gas Rolls-Royce Bergen C26:33 L6 AG auxiliary engine for the Abel Matutes ferry operated by Baleària is the manufacturer’s first pure-gas engine installation on a European-flagged ferry for service outside of Norwegian waters.

Nieuwegein, Holland-based CNG Net reports a contract to supply compressed natural gas fuel for Texelstroom, the first European ferry to operate on CNG. CNG Net will build a compression facility on the Wadden island of Texel.

Wärtsilä and Holland’s Cryonorm Systems have agreed to form a consortium to develop and deliver liquefied natural gas fuel systems for Europe’s inland waterways market. The goal is ‘a standard LNG fuel system for inland waterway vessels that will achieve lower costs.’

The London-based Society for Gas as a Marine Fuel has released its Gas as a Marine Fuel Safety Guidelines: Bunkering, a 70-page compendium “formulated as the basis for operational regulations of procedures. The document is aimed at maritime administrations, port authorities, local and national authorities, ship owners, suppliers of gas as a marine fuel, and such relevant parties as fuel delivery companies and ships crews.

Stavanger, Norway-based Nor Lines has taken delivery of the Kvit Bjørn cargo ferry intended to provide regular service between northern Europe and Norway and along the Norwegian west coast Kvit Bjørn is the first of two Rolls-Royce Bergen-powered, dedicated-LNG sister ships.

Klaipedos Nafta, which opened the Baltic’s first full-scale LNG terminal in Lithuania late last year, has signed an MoU with Bomin Linde to develop transportation markets in the area. The two organizations see the port of Kalipeda as an LNG hub for the eastern Baltic Sea.

Interested in speaking at HHP Summit 2015? Taking placeOctober 26-29 in Dallas, Texas, HHP Summit’s four-day program will showcase the key fueling solutions, engines, equipment, technology, and policies driving the advancement of natural gas as a diesel displacement for marine, mining, E&P, locomotive, and off-pipeline power generation applications. The deadline to submit abstracts is June 3.