SHI delivers Teekay’s first LNG-powered shuttle tanker

South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries has delivered Aurora Spirit the world’s first LNG dual-fuel shuttle tanker to Teekay Offshore. 

The shipyard noted that it has completed the construction of the 130,000 DWT LNG dual-fuel shuttle tanker, the first in the series of four vessels that will start operation just as the global sulphur limit imposed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has come into force at the start of the year.

The vessel named Aurora Spirit will operate on both liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the primary fuel, and a mixture of LNG and recovered volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as a secondary fuel.

The E-Shuttle has battery packs for flexible power distribution and blackout prevention. It is the first of four vessels that will be operating in the North Sea.

It was launched at the shipyard in late March 2019 and completed sea trials later in the year.