Hamburg LNG barge ready to go

The operation of all five of the Hummel’s generator sets recently took place as part of class acceptance. The trials of the gas motors powered using low-emission LNG fuel at the Port of Hamburg represented a departure for both Bureau Veritas, the French classification society and the authorities involved.

The overall LNG Hybrid Barge system was tested and a variety of large load impacts and load spikes were simulated. The overall load transfer of 0 to 7.5 megawatts of power was achieved well below the time of two minutes set by the classification society.

Hans J Gätjens, vice president marine central Europe, Bureau Veritas, said that the overall LNG Hybrid Barge system with gas motors is an impressive technical achievement and a milestone for classification.

Hamburg’s LNG Hybrid Barge was launched in Komárno, Slovakia at the beginning of September 2014 and was christened the Hummel following successful passage to the port. It works like a floating power plant and, compared to conventional marine diesel with 0.1% sulphur content, emits no sulphur dioxides or soot. Emissions of nitrogen oxides and carbon dioxide are also significantly reduced.

Deployment of the LNG Hybrid Barge at Hamburg should significantly improve the port’s air quality along with that of the city.