LNG engines for new catamarans

The catamarans being built for Dutch owner Royal Doeksen, were developed by marine design company BMT Nigel Gee the ferries will carry up to 600 passengers and 64 cars. Construction will begin this summer with delivery scheduled for the second quarter of 2018.

Being equipped with pure LNG systems, the vessels are said to offer efficiency advantages over the dual-fuel engines employed by most gas-fuelled vessels.

Mark Schiller, CEO, Strategic Marine, said: “We foresee an increased focus in the environmental aspects of marine transportation and LNG emerging as the fuel of choice for vessels and ferries. Our focus on the large ferry market is beginning to reap the desired results with this recent win, as we continue to focus on the vertical product chain for aluminium vessels.”

Royal Doeksen is one of the largest ferry operators in the Netherlands and also operates specialised transport services for the offshore wind energy sector.