Keppel O&M names LNG-fueled tug for Keppel Smith Towage

Keppel Offshore & Marine’s unit, Keppel Singmarine, is on track to deliver South East Asia’s first dual-fuel LNG tug to Keppel Smit Towage following the naming of the vessel.

The vessel was named KST Liberty at a ceremony held at Keppel Singmarine on Wednesday, the company said in its statement.

The 65-tonne bollard pull LNG dual-fuel Azimuth Stern Drive (ASD) tug was built to Keppel’s design.

Singapore’s ministry of transport permanent secretary, Loh Ngai Seng, said, “Today’s christening of KST Liberty marks an important milestone in Singapore’s journey to make LNG bunkering available at our port as early as 2020.”

He added that the project between Keppel O&M and Keppel Smit Towage, under MPA’s LNG bunkering pilot programme, to build and operate Singapore’s first LNG-fuelled vessel is regarded as a step closer to cleaner and more sustainable marine fuels

The LNG fuel is carried in containerized, type-C ISO-certified tanks on the main deck of the vessel, and refueling can be done by truck-to-ship operations or replacing the empty tanks with replenished ones. It is also equipped with an LNG vaporizer.

Shell will be supplying the LNG fuel to KST Liberty while FueLNG, a joint venture between Keppel O&M and Shell Eastern Petroleum, will be providing the LNG bunkering services. The LNG bunkering will be conducted at Jurong Port which is able to support LNG bunkering operations.