Fratelli Cosulich Orders LNG Bunkering Vessel in China

Italian firm Fratelli Cosulich Group has ordered a liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering vessel. The ship, which will be built in China, at the CIMC SOE shipyard, with its approximately 5,300 tons of DWT will be able to transport over 8,000 m3 of LNG and 500 m3 of MGO for bunkering. 

The vessel will be equipped by Wartsila, a Finland-based company specializing in the manufacture of propulsion and power generation systems for marine use with Dual Fuel technology. 

According to Fratelli Cosulich, the vessel will boast "the most advanced technologies currently available."

The cargo management system will be designed and built by Wärtsilä Gas System and will be equipped with both quantitative and qualitative LNG and natural gas fiscal measurement systems, as well as with an LNG sub-cooling system. 

This will make it possible to have the most effective boil-off gas management technologies, with the consequent elimination of potential environmental impacts and reduction of load losses. The propulsion and maneuvering system will be azimuth type, with double bow thruster, such as to allow high maneuverability in port areas and will be managed by onshore and offshore personnel with extensive skills in the ship management and LNG sector, the company said.

The total value of the investment for the construction of the vessel is approximately $45 million.

"As the project is contributing to the decarbonization of maritime transport by deploying LNG bunkering solutions in the Mediterranean Sea, it may be awarded a grant of €4.5 million by the European Union under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) program," the company said.