Green Ship Technology (GST) Award 2015 goes to Stena Line’s methanol project
Stena has received an award for its efforts in converting the Stena Germanica to run on methanol. The accolade “Ship-owner of the year” was awarded at this year’s Green Ship Technology Conference (GST), held in Copenhagen last week.
The prize is awarded for “innovative new technology presented since 1 January 2014 that represents an advance for the marine environment” and the jury selected the conversion of the Stena Germanica on the grounds that it was “a strong 3rd alternative that is developing to meet the specific challenge of sustainable sea transport within the ECA”. The Stena Germanica, which serves the route from Gothenburg to Kiel on weekdays, will now be converted at Remontova Shipyard in Poland. The 240-metre-long ferry will be the first vessel in the world to run on environmentally-friendly methanol.
“We are naturally delighted about the jury naming our methanol project as the winner of this year’s GST Award. It is an important project, both for us as a company and for the entire industry, as we need more long-term sustainable fuel alternatives in order to remain competitive. We want to thank our partners Wärtsilä, Methanex, the Port of Gothenburg and the Port of Kiel,” says Carl-Johan Hagman, CEO of Stena Line.
The conversion of the Stena Germanica’s engines has involved collaboration between Stena Teknik and Wärtsilä. The technology is so-called “dual fuel” and uses methanol as the principal fuel, but with the possibility of using MGO (Marine Gas Oil) as a backup. The total project cost is around EUR 22 million and the project is being supported by the EU’s “Motorways of the Seas”.
The jury that selected the project as the winner comprised Mark Cameron (COO, Ardmore Shipping), Craig Eason (deputy editor, Lloyds List), Captain Wolfram Guntermann (Director Environmental Fleet Management at Hapag-Lloyd AG) and Niels Björn Mortensen (Director Regulatory Affairs, Maersk Maritime Technology). The other nominees were GAC (EnvironHull for HullWiper), NAPA and ClassNK (GREEN Monitoring and GREEN Optimisation) and MAN Diesel & Turbo (De-rating: slow steaming optimization with de-rating and propeller upgrade).
For more information about the award, visit www.greenshiptechnology.com
Facts about methanol
Methanol is a colourless liquid that can be produced from natural gas, carbon, biomass or even CO2. Using methanol reduces emissions of sulphur (SOx) by roughly 99 per cent, nitrogen (NOx) by 60 per cent, particles (PM) by 95 per cent and carbon dioxide (CO2) by 25 per cent compared with international bunker fuels.
To view films about Stena Line’s methanol project, including an interview with Carl-Johan Hagman, visit Stena Line’s Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/stenaline
For more information, contact Jesper Waltersson, Head of Communications, Stena Line, tel. +46 (0) 31 85 85 32 or +46 (0) 704 85 85 32. jesper.waltersson@stenaline.com
Stena Line is one of the world's largest ferry companies with 35 vessels and 22 routes in northern Europe. Stena Line is an important part of the European logistics network and develops new intermodal freight solutions by combining transport by rail, road and sea. Stena Line also plays an important role for tourism in Europe with its extensive passenger operations. The company, which is family owned, was founded in 1962 and has its head office in Gothenburg. Stena Line is part of the Stena Sphere, which has around 20,500 employees and an annual turnover of over 50 billion.
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