New milestone reached in LNG conversion project after transport and placement of new aft ship

February 1 2021

Last Thursday, the Royal Niestern Sander shipyard installed a new aft ship on the passenger ship Münsterland. This completely newly designed and built aft ship contains dual fuel engines, an LNG storage tank, propulsion, all LNG installations, pipes and other systems. In the coming period, the new aft ship will be welded to the existing ship.

Earlier this week, the old aft ship was removed and transported on a pontoon to Groningen for recycling. With the same pontoon, the aft ship - built by the shipbuilding department of the yard - was transported from the inner-dike location to the dock location. On arrival at the dock, the new stern with modular trailers was driven from the pontoon into the dock and placed in position behind the Münsterland.

Ship building and ship repair

Niestern Sander's project approach is based on the two pillars of the company, namely shipbuilding and ship repair. Due to the combination of new shipbuilding and ship repair, the majority of the conversion operation takes place physically at the shipbuilding yard, where the repair dock is not yet necessary. During these activities, the Münsterland can still remain in service.

Green

As a result of the LNG conversion, the Münsterland will use a less polluting fuel, which greatly reduces emissions. The new shape of the stern will also reduce the hull resistance. As a result, the ship has less engine power to be able to sail at the same speed, which means a reduction in fuel consumption and noise.

Feasibility

With the Münsterland, Royal Niestern Sander has the opportunity to demonstrate the economic feasibility of an LNG conversion in practice thanks to its unique conversion method. It will also appear that the space limitation when converting an existing ship can be solved. The Münsterland will be put back into service in its new form by AG Ems in the summer of 2021.

For this innovation process, Niestern Sander will receive a contribution from the European Fund for Regional Development of the European Union.