Energy company Gasum has entered into an agreement with the City of Vaasa, Finland, NLC Ferry and Wärtsilä Finland to supply LNG to ferry operator Wasaline
Gasum is to build a local LNG customer terminal in Vaskiluoto, Vaasa, Finland from where tanker trucks will take LNG to customer sites.
Gasum will supply LNG to ropax shipping company Wasaline’s new LNG-fuelled ferry M/S Aurora Botnia, which will start operating later this year, and to Wärtsilä’s new Smart Technology Hub, a place for research, product development and engineering, which will be delivered in May 2021. Gasum will also serve other customers through the terminal.
“In the City of Vaasa’s Energy and Climate programme, the ambition is for the city to be carbon-neutral in the 2020s,” said Vaasa Mayor Tomas Häyry. “The city is committed to reducing emissions between different actors in the urban area. This co-operation helps us to increase the availability of gas across the Vaasa region,” says Mayor Häyry.
“We believe the use of liquefied natural gas will increase both on land and at sea and that demand for more environmentally friendly fuels will show further growth,” said Wärtsilä Finland director, delivery management Vesa Riihimäki.
Wasaline chief executive Peter Ståhlberg said, Aurora Botnia is “the most eco-friendly passenger and car ferry currently under construction. We expect the 150-m ship’s engines will initially burn LNG, before transitioning to renewable biogas. Besides the multi-fuel engines, the ferry will be fitted with a hybrid solution with batteries and inductive charging. To reduce emissions in harbour, battery power will be used during entries and departures, for hotel loading, peak shaving and boosting power.
Under construction at Rauma Marine Constructions in Finland, the ferry will accommodate 800 passengers and have a cargo capacity of 1,500 lane metres for trucks and cars. The new vessel will run on low-emission LNG, with ABB Azipod propulsion with permanent magnet motor technology. Designed to meet Polar Code 6 criteria, the vessel’s pair of 5.8-MW Azipod units can rotate through 360°, increasing manoeuvrability.
“Sustainability is increasingly important to our customers and also to the entire Vaasa region,” added Mr Ståhlberg.
“We are continuously developing new ways to reduce emissions together with our partners and customers,” said Gasum, industry sales director Tommy Mattila. “We want to help our customers to lower their own carbon footprint. Gas delivers significant cost-effective options to reach emissions reductions both in maritime and road transport. This project will strengthen availability and enable customers to smoothly switch to using biogas,” added Mr Mattila.
Consisting of mostly methane, with similar properties as LNG, biogas is made from biodegradeable waste streams, and can be distributed using the same infrastructure as LNG.
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