Synthetic natural gas as shipping fuel? MAN Energy Solutions says yes!

The first dual-fuel retrofit project now set to be first vessel globally to use synthetic natural gas (SNG) derived from renewable energy. MAN Energy Solutions and Wessels Marine are cooperating on the Wes Amelie project to demonstrate that SNG can successfully be used as shipping fuel. More into details, 20 of the 120 tons of LNG that the Wes Amelie typically uses per round trip will be replaced by climate-neutral SNG. As a result, CO₂ emissions are expected to decline by 56 tons for this trip.

The Wes Amelie, owned and managed by Wessels Reederei (Haren/Ems), previously made headlines in 2017 when its MAN 8L48/60B main engine was retrofitted to its current, four-stroke MAN 51/60DF unit that enables dual-fuel operation. It was the first such conversion of its type the world had ever seen.

A MAN IN RED? RUMORS ABOUT CUMMINS AND MAN ENERGY SOLUTIONS

Synthetic natural gas generated by wind energy

Automobile manufacturer Audi’s Power-to-Gas facility in Werlte, where a liquefaction plant is currently under construction, will provide the SNG, which will be generated by wind energy and is thus 100% climate-neutral. The SNG trip will take place after the completion of the liquefaction plant in Q2 2020.

The project conducted by MAN Energy Solutions is part indeed of what the company calls a ‘Maritime Energy Transition’ to find clean, decarbonised solutions for seaborne trade and transportation. Essentially, it is the company’s call to action to reduce emissions and establish natural gases as the fuels of choice in global shipping. It strongly promotes a global ‘turn to gas’, driven by the IMO, and a common approach by the shipping industry and politics to invest in infrastructure development and retrofits.

ANOTHE HYBRID PROJECT FOR A GREENLAND RESEARCH VESSEL

Energy for a drink can factory in Baghdad

MAN Energy Solutions has been engaged in another interesting application, providing 53 MW of electrical power to a drink can factory in Baghdad, Iraq.

The new power plant guarantees a reliable energy supply for the Royal Can Making Company (RCMC) drink can factory and therefore enables high utilization of production capacities, as the plant is no longer affected by fluctuations in the national grid. The company manufactures more than two billion drink cans every year. Last year, MAN Energy Solutions had already commissioned two power plants in the Iraqi cities of Samawah and Basra. “We are proud that the Royal Can Making Company is another customer from the Persian Gulf region which is relying on energy solutions provided by MAN Energy Solutions. In total, we are now supplying more than 200 MW of power to rebuild the country’s infrastructure”, said Waldemar Wiesner, Head of Region MEA (Middle-East Africa), Power Plant Sales, at MAN Energy Solutions.