Desgagnés has taken delivery of the M/T Damia Desgagnés, a brand new vessel recently completed in Turkey. The vessel is the first dual-fuel powered Canadian-flagged tanker and the first-ever asphalt carrier of this type, build according to an original concept developed by Desgagnés and ordered at the Besiktas shipyard located in Yalova near Istanbul, Turkey.
Mr. Louis-Marie Beaulieu, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Desgagnés, said:
« The Damia Desgagnés tangibly demonstrates all of Desgagnés’s vision and leadership with regards to sustainable development as well as its commitment to its clientele in order to offer a first-class, safe and environmentally-friendly marine transportation service for petroleum products”.
An intense training effort has been carried out to prepare Desgagnés’s crewmembers to take charge of the Damia Desgagnés and the three other tankers currently in various stages of construction. To date, a total of nearly 2,500 hours of training in the handling of LNG has been given.
“It’s stimulating to work on a modern and cutting-edge vessel. We are very eager to go out to sea and bring her back to Canada” comments Mr. Sébastien Déry, Chief Engineer aboard the Damia Desgagnés.
“We’ve worked really hard in the last few months to learn and to ensure we have mastered the technologies aboard the Damia Desgagnés. The reward is there with Page 2 of 2 the pride of being part of the commissioning of a ship that is so much on the leading-edge with regards to environment and safety” adds Mrs. Marie-Claire Dusseault, Chief Officer aboard the vessel.
Double-hulled, the vessel is equipped with a Wärtsila 5RT-flex 50DF engine developing a power output of 5,450 kW, meaning that she can be powered by any of three types of fuel, namely heavy fuel oil, marine diesel oil or liquefied natural gas (LNG). With a deadweight of around 15,000 tons, her tanks offer a carrying capacity of 14,950 m3 when filled at 98%. She can carry over 13,500 tons of asphalt at a draft of 7.8 meters in seawater. The Damia Desgagnés also holds a Polar 7 certification, confirming her capacity to navigate in ice-laden waters. She is also equipped with a variable pitch propeller, a 750 kW bow thruster, a 550 kW stern thruster and a dynamic positioning system.
In addition, the vessel is applied with an ABB A165-L – ABB newest generation turbocharger for two-stroke engines, which offers highest efficiency, most suitable for dual fuel engines. The dual-fuel engines require highest possible turbocharger efficiency to optimize the purity of the air in the combustion chamber for the burning of the gas in a controlled Otto process. High efficiency of turbochargers results in reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
Desgagnés said that it will continue to actively contribute to broadening the use of LNG in maritime transporation by collaborating further with the various suppliers to improve and adapt their services to the needs of the industry.
Source : Desgagnés
