Wärtsilä to Power Shells 15 LNG Barges

Shell Finnish engine maker Wärtsilä has signed a contract to provide dual-fuel main engines for a series of 15 inland waterway barges, which will be chartered by Shell Trading Rotterdam (Shell). Under the contract, concluded in December, the barges, being built for Belgium based Plouvier Transport, will feature a 6-cylinder Wärtsilä 20DF dual-fuel main engine, a gearbox, an LNGPac fuel gas handling system, and a Wärtsilä propeller with an HR nozzle. The equipment is scheduled for delivery to the yards commencing in June 2016. Currently under construction at the VEKA Shipyard CENTROMOST in Poland, the barges will be outfitted at VEKA Shipyard Werkendam. The vessels will operate primarily on liquefied natural gas (LNG). Shell said it will use the 110 metre long barges to support its operations in the ARA (Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp) and Rhinetrack (Germany/Switzerland) regions. The barges are scheduled to be delivered between late 2016 and mid-2018.