In Damen Shiprepair Dunkerque (DSDu) the work started on the conversion of the trailing suction hopper dredger (TSHD) “Samuel de Champlain” from diesel-electric propulsion to dual-fuel capability combining MGO and LNG.
DSDu CEO Mark Jan van den Akker said that this is an important step towards lower emissions, and that the conversion of conventional diesel vessels to dual-fuel by adding LNG capability is a viable option.
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Damen will conduct the engineering, procurement and support of the vessel, while engineering studies are being subcontracted to LMG MARIN FRANCE. The current propulsion system of the Samuel de Champlain is diesel-electric burning MGO, and so the package includes the change of generators to dual-fuel models and the installation of onboard LNG storage facilities.
The new engines will be installed on a new block which is being prefabricated in DSDu’s workshop and this will be installed later in 2018, while the vessel is in drydock.
This project is part of an EU-supported initiative to promote LNG propulsion in short-sea vessels operating along the European Atlantic coast and is made possible by a subsidy from the European Commission’s Innovation and Networks Executive Agency (INEA), through its Connecting Europe Facility programme.
The conversion will show the feasibility of using LNG as a fuel on smaller vessels and the vessel is expected to be operational by December 2018.
