‘Navigator Aurora’ became the first ship that successfully converted its slow-speed marine diesel engine to operate on ethane as a fuel. The vessel was berthed alongside at Frederikshavn in Denmark.
Navigator Aurora is a 35,000 CBM Ethylene/LPG Carrier, delivered in August 2016, equipped with a dual fuel (HFO/LNG) burning engine, which has now been converted to a dual fuel (HFO/Ethane) engine.
The conversion lasted 15 days and took place after engine performance and emissions testing at Kawasaki in Japan. The test happened to prove that burning ethane in the Navigator ME-GI engines would be possible.
The trials were successful and indicated that suitable power and emissions performance, meeting Classification and statutory requirements, was available at a fuel gas injection pressure of just over 300 bar.
Paul Flaherty, Director of Fleet and Technical operations at Navigator Gas, said:
This retrofit modification will comply with all current global emissions regulations and position us as early adopters of the global sulphur cap regulation due to come into force on the 1st of January 2020.
