Wärtsilä LNG tech ordered for KNOT newbuilds

The Finnish technology group Wärtsilä has been contracted to provide tech solutions for KNOT’s two 124,000-DWT shuttle tanker newbuilds.

Wärtsilä will provide its Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) recovery system, together with an LNG fuel gas supply system for the two vessels.

The pair ordered by Knutsen NYK Offshore Tankers (KNOT), an independent owner and operator of shuttle tankers, will be built at the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine yard in Korea.

With this technology, the liquefied VOC is mixed with LNG and used as fuel for the main and auxiliary engines.

By using LNG as the primary fuel and supplementing this with the energy recovered from the VOC, these vessels will be able to lower their emissions of CO2 equivalents by 30 to 35 percent, a minimum of 30,000 tons per year, compared to conventional oil-fuelled shuttle tankers. These savings are roughly the equivalent of the total emissions from approximately 20,000 cars, Wärtsilä said.

“Our industry is rapidly changing towards greater environmental awareness and improved operational efficiency. These two new ships will reflect this change, thanks largely to Wärtsilä’s advanced technology. They will truly represent the new generation of shuttle tankers, with vastly reduced emissions and lower fuel costs,” says Jarle Østenstad, newbuilding director, Knutsen OAS.

The Wärtsilä solutions will be delivered to the yard commencing in November of this year.

When delivered, the tankers will operate in the North Sea oil fields.