German ferry operator AG Ems expects to take delivery of its converted LNG-powered passenger ferry, Münsterland, by the end of this month.
AG Ems revealed this in an update on January 4. The firm said that the 1986-built Münsterland had completed its first LNG bunkering operation and the first “technical test drive.”
The shipping company said it plans to take delivery of the 94 meters long converted ferry by the end of the month and put it back into service between the Dutch Eemshaven to the German island of Borkum.
This is the firm’s third LNG-powered ferry. Münsterland will join sister ship Ostfriesland, claimed to be Europe’s first converted LNG ferry.
AG Ems also operates Helgoland, Germany’s first newbuild LNG-powered ferry.
Slightly larger LNG tank
To remind, Dutch shipyard Royal Niestern Sander started building the vessel’s new aft in May 2020, while the vessel arrived at its yard in Delfzijl in January last year.
In June, the shipbuilder said that the project was nearing completion and that AG Ems would place the ferry into service again in the summer of 2021.
The conversion works, backed by the German government, included adding dual-fuel engines, a type C LNG storage tank, installations, pipelines, and other systems. The vessel now features two Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel generating sets and its LNGPac system.
Also, the vessel’s LNG tank is a bit bigger than the 45 cbm tank installed in Ostfriesland. Münsterland’s LNG tank has a capacity of 53 cbm, according to AG Ems.