ABC Diesel’s busy new year

VAN DER KAMP INTERNATIONAL DREDGING B.V. OPTS FOR ABC’S DUAL FUEL ENGINES

Anglo Belgian Corporation (ABC) signed a contract with Van der Kamp Dredging International B.V. from Zwolle to deliver four main 12DZD dual fuel generating sets – which in total will deliver about 8000 KWm at 1000 rpm – for a new Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) called ‘Ecodelta’.  With this contract, a reputed and internationally operating dredging company chooses again for ABC’s dual fuel main generating sets.

From 2018 onwards, the ‘Ecodelta’ – with a capacity of 5,500 m³ – will keep the port basins at depth of the Port of Rotterdam.

With ABC’s dual fuel engines, a gas-air mixture is drawn into the cylinders, which is then compressed. A small diesel pilot fuel ignites the combustion. Liquified natural gas (LNG) is more environmentally friendly. Some of the main advantages are that hardly any soot and sulfur dioxide are released during combustion, that much less NOx is produced and that there is around 15% reduction in CO2 emissions.

Next to these emission reductions the very good response times to load changes make, along with the reliability and robustness of ABC’s dual fuel engines, a highly competitive package.

An additional, advantageous quality of ABC’s dual fuel engines is the rising or constant torque at a decelerating engine speed. This offers advantages in numerous applications, including in the dredging industry. A constant torque curve across a wide speed range provides an answer to sudden load variations (for example, when pumping sludge). This has a more stable and efficient usage and a more sustainable operation of the engine as an advantage.

Van der Kamp foresees a great future for LNG as fuel in shipping because the standards for emissions from ships powered by diesel fuel are becoming more stringent. Therefore, a conscious choice was made for engines that are powered by LNG.

Jan Strijker, Head of Technical Department at Van der Kamp International Dredging B.V., said: “As a company we want to operate in a sustainable way with nature. Also the ports in which we conduct our dredging activities attach great importance to the environment. Therefore, the choice to invest in engines that can run on LNG was not difficult for us. The ‘Ecodelta’ complies with the environmental regulations that will come into force worldwide in 2020 and the even more stringent requirements that are applied in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.”

ABC SIGNS CONTRACT FOR MAIN PROPULSION ENGINES HONDIUS EXPEDITION CRUISE SHIP

ABC signed an agreement with the Croatian shipyard Brodosplit for supplying four engines for a new polar-class expedition cruise ship. The ‘HONDIUS’ will carry 196 passengers and will be powered by two 12DZC engines each providing 2029 kW at 750 rpm and two 6DZC electrical generating sets each delivering 750 kWe at 750 rpm.

The polar cruiser, with a length of 107.6m, will be operated in 2019 by ‘Oceanwide Expeditions’ located in the Netherlands that specializes in small-scale expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica.

“We foresee an increasing demand for voyages in the Polar Regions. The HONDIUS will give us the opportunity to accommodate these travelers, to grow as a company and to offer new innovative products in the Polar Regions. Vessel’s reliability and on-board safety are company’s top-priorities and the choice of the machinery meets these requirements”, says Oceanwide Expeditions’ CEO Michel van Gessel.

“By signing this agreement, Brodosplit is strongly progressing in the realization of its business plans and is determining its position as an inevitable European shipbuilding system that builds highly complex vessels which achieve high competitiveness. The emphasis in this shipbuilding market is the added value for the Client and also for the Builder which is the basis for successful business”, says Tomislav Debeljak, CEO of the Brodosplit Inc.

With this agreement, ABC positions itself as a strong engine partner in the segment of luxury cruise ships.

VG-SHIPPING AHEAD OF FUTURE EMISSION LEGISLATIONS

VG-Shipping, subsidiary of the Finnish Meriaura Group, has taken delivery of its second EcoCoaster, m/s Mirva VG. The handover of m/s Eeva VG took place in September.  Both EcoCoasters™ use a biofuel system and can be powered by MGO or residue based and recycled fish and vegetable oils.  VG EcoCoasters™ have been designed to cause considerably less environmental impact than conventional dry cargo vessels of the same type and size.

For the main propulsion engine, one was looking for a supplier who could deliver engines operating on both MGO and biofuel.  Ghent-based Anglo Belgian Corporation (ABC) had shown extensive experience with the use of animal fats and vegetable oils in its medium speed engines.

ABC has the expertise to use animal fats in its engines with an acidity exceeding 95% and low calorific values. The biofuel (fish oil) that is used in the EcoCoasters™ is already being produced at VG-Shipping’s own refinery in Uusikaupunki.

Each VG EcoCoaster™ has been equipped with a robust and reliable 8DZC engine that generates 1650 kW at 900 rpm. These new vessels will meet all the maritime environmental regulations coming into force in the next few years.

“Our first EcoCoaster™ has been in traffic for two months now and the actual fuel consumption has proven to be in line with the test results. Consumption is almost half compared to conventional dry cargo vessels of similar type and size. We are very proud of being able to cut emissions remarkably with these new vessels”, says Jussi Mälkiä, the president of Meriaura Group.

SUPPLEMENTARY ORDER OFFSHORE SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE VESSELS

La Confiance, the first of two light patrol vessels, was handed over to the French Navy on 25 October in Boulogne-sur-Mer (France).  The delivery of the second vessel, La Résolue, is scheduled for the first quarter of 2017.  Both vessels have been equipped with two 12DZC engines each generating 2900 kW at 1000 rpm.

These two new patrol vessels will be operating in French Guiana, a French overseas department on the northern coast of South America, where they will replace ‘La Gracieuse’ and ‘La Capricieuse’ that are in service since 1987.

Official handover of OPV ‘La Confiance’ in Boulogne-sur-Mer

Further positive news arrived as the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA) awarded KERSHIP, a joint company created by PIRIOU and DCNS, with a contract to build two additional Offshore Support and Assistance Vessels (BSAH).  ABC already equipped the first two vessels and signed mid-November a contract to supply the main engines for both additional vessels.

ABC INAUGURATES NEW PRODUCTION HALL

ABC’s new production hall – number eight – has officially been inaugurated beginning of December. This new, modern building represents an investment of 3 million euro.  In order to cope with future developments in ABC’s product lineup, the hall has been equipped with a heavy lift overhead crane with a capacity of 130 tons.  The building will initially serve as a buffer area for emergency diesel generator sets that will be used in EDF’s nuclear facilities in France. In the course of next year, the new DV36 engines will be assembled and tested in this hall. In order to do so we started with the installation of a brand new test bench that will be operational by mid-2017.

ABC further extends its production site in Ghent (Belgium) with a new production hall of 2,800 m².