LMG Marin to Design LNG-Fueled Ferry for Mediterranean Sea

LMG Marine Italian shipowner Caronte & Tourist has selected the Bergen-based ship designer LMG Marin for the design of the companys new liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled large double-ended ferry. The LMG 290-DEG design, which is 133 meters long and 21,5 meters wide, will have capacity for 290 cars on two vehicle decks, and 1500 passengers. The propulsion will be based on a gas-electric system using 3 dual-fuel engines, according to LMG Marin. Scheduled for delivery in 2018, the new ferry will be built by Sefine Shipyard in Turkey. LMG Marin said that this will be the first ferry in the Mediterranean Sea to operate on LNG fuel. The ferry is optimized to operate across the Strait of Messina between Villa San Giovanni and Messina in Sicily, an area prone to very high current, as well as on more open routes such as to the Aeolian Islands.