AET Names Two Of The World’s First LNG Dual-Fuel Dynamic Positioning Shuttle Tankers

AET Names Two Of The World’s First LNG Dual-Fuel Dynamic Positioning Shuttle Tankers

The world’s first LNG Dual-Fuel Positioning Shuttle Tankers (DPSTs) have been named by AET that is the leading owner and operator of petroleum tankers. These vessels will emit less carbon by 40-48% when compared to the vessels that were built in 2008 thereby, meeting the target of the IMO to reduce the emissions of CO2 by 40% when compared to 2008 by 2030 and reducing it halves by 2050

These DPSTs emit about 85% less SOx, 98% less NOx, 98% less particulate matter and 93% less of particulates of black carbon in comparison to DPSTs burning conventional fuel.

At the naming ceremony at the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) Geoje Shipyard that is in South Korea, the Eagle Blane and Eagle Balder that are the sister twin-skeg 123,100dwt shuttle tankers were unveiled.

On a long term charter for operations, the ships will be serving Equinor that is a Norwegian energy company in both the oilfields on the North Sea’s Norwegian Continental Shelf and the southern Barents Sea and also on the UK Continental Shelf.

They will be powered by liquefied natural gas thus, being able to capture Volatile Organic Compounds 100% which are emitted by the crude oil cargoes when they are loaded and during the voyage for reuse as a supplementary fuel.

Read: How does a ship get its fuel?

By using a system that is more efficient for dynamic positioning when in combination with LNG Fuel Fuelling and VOC Recovery Systems, about 3,000 tonnes of fuel per year can be saved from these vessels along with the DPSTs of the same size.

Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) constructed the vessels for a joint venture, AET Sea Shuttle AS (AETSS), between ADS Shipping, a Norwegian shipping company and AET Tankers that has its headquarter in Singapore, as the owner and commercial operator of the vessels. OSM Maritime a MISC Group’s marine services arm Eaglestar and Norwegian third-party ship management company will manage the newbuilds project.

Capt. Rajalingam Subramaniam, AET President & CEO and Chairman of AETSS said, “These vessels are proof that environmental sustainability and commercial viability can coexist, and are also a testament to the fact that operational performance does not have to be sacrificed in the pursuit of reducing emissions. The goal was always to leverage our combined experience of AET, ADS, and SHI to develop vessels that really push the boundaries in what is possible in North Sea dynamic positioning operations, and to prove the value of LNG Dual-Fuel solutions in the energy shipping segment.”

Commenting at the naming ceremony, Lady Sponsor, Ann-Elisabeth Serck-Hanssen, Senior Vice President for Asset Management in Marketing, Midstream and Processing, Equinor, said, “Taking these vessels on a long-term contract will further enhance our ability to provide safe, efficient and cost-competitive energy for our customers, and we are proud to play our part in what is an important step forward in the development of more sustainable energy shipping solutions.”

Two low-pressure dual-fuel two-stroke engines will propel the twin DPSTs. This will be according to the Tier III emission requirements of IMO in a gas mode which will not require any exhaust gas after treatment. The DPSTs have the latest generation of bow loading system and shaft generator with DC switchboard. They are designed for operating in the Norwegian, North and Barents Seas.

ADS Shipping Chairman, Bjørn Tore Larsen commented, “Eagle Blane and Eagle Balder have surpassed our expectations, and vessels will provide Equinor with even greater operational flexibility and control and set a new benchmark for shuttle tanking operations. We look forward to the next stage when these ships begin their work, in our further strengthening of the relationship between Equinor, AET, and ADS. Our sister company, OSM Maritime are looking forward to managing these vessels from their OSM Ship Management office in Arendal, Norway.”

Yee Yang Chien, MISC President/Group CEO and AET Chairman added, “As partners in this venture, we all shared an aspiration to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of our supply chains while ensuring stable and reliable access to energy now and into the future. We are confident that these LNG Dual-Fuel Shuttle Tankers will be the first of many more used by the offshore industry, and I must thank everyone involved in helping to bring this project to life.”

Reference: aet-tankers