International tanker owner and operator Hafnia BW group on Wednesday (28 October) said it has ordered two Aframax-type LR2 vessels equipped with Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) propulsion.

The vessels are being built by Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) and will immediately be chartered by Total on long term time charters with fixed earnings upon delivery in 2023.

Hafnia noted these dual-fuel vessels were meticulously designed to encapsulate the traits it believes necessary for ships of the future.

Each tanker will be 250 metres long with 12 cargo tanks, enabling a carrying capacity of 110,000 deadweight tons (DWT) or 133,500 cubic metres (m3).

Featuring LNG fuel capacity of 3,600 m3, the vessels will have a range of 13,500 nautical miles when sailing on LNG at 14.5 knots.

“These ships are another example of our strategy to support and promote industry decarbonization while still transporting the resources necessary to sustain the world. We believe LNG is the bridge fuel that the shipping industry needs to transition towards a low carbon world,” said Hafnia CEO Mikael Skov.

“Hafnia has already invested in methanol, and engaged in serious research on ammonia – two leading candidates for zero-carbon marine fuels – but now we are investing in the stepping stone that will get us to this future we’ve already started to imagine.”

Hafnia added the vessels are designed with the most efficient LNG propulsion technologies available. Not only will their GHG emissions be 5,000 tons per year lower than conventional tankers, but also approximately 30% lower when compared to standard dual-fuel LNG vessels – making them more than ready for “phase 3” Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) requirements.

While the vessels’ LNG propulsion systems are certainly their calling cards, the tankers will be unique in many other ways, said the company.

The high-pressure dual-fuel LNG engines incorporate a flexible design that not only ensures close to zero methane slip but also makes them adaptable to the zero-emission fuels of the future (such as, but not limited to, ammonia or synthetic methanol).

The vessels will also come with a state-of-the-art fuel gas supply system that has full redundancy on all supply systems so that they can handle boil-off gas from the LNG tanks under any condition. The auxiliary engines for gensets and boilers will also be able to run on multiple fuel types.

Photo credit: Hafnia BW Group
Published: 29 October, 2020