First LNG crane vessel begins first port job

Van Oord vessel, the Werkendam is also the company’s first vessel to run entirely on LNG. With a storage tank on the aft deck, the Werkendam can store enough LNG to sail and operate for fourteen days without refuelling. Compared to a diesel-powered vessel, the Werkendam emits 80% less particulate matter and 70% less nitrogen oxides. It also boasts a CO2 reduction of 25%.

“We are encouraging the transition from fuel oil to LNG as a fuel for shipping. It is good that operational ships are taking the lead,’ says Ronald Paul, COO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority.

“We are proud of this ingenious crane vessel. The vessel is a practical expression of our pioneering role in the field of sustainability,” stated Ronald Schinagl, director Netherlands at Van Oord.

As well as running on LNG, the Werkendam has sustainable innovations onboard. For example, the electric crane is equipped with devices known as ultracaps, which recover energy when, for example, a load is released.

The Werkendam is co-financed by the EU.