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German shipping firm Wessels Reederei GmbH & Co. KG has been given a seven-figure government grant to retrofit its container ship 'Wes Amelie' to liquefied natural gas (LNG), which would make it the first vessel of its kind in the world to be converted to an LNG propulsion system.

Funding is being provided through the 'Mobility and Fuel Strategy' programme of Germany's Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (Das Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur (BMVI)), which promotes the maritime use of LNG as an environmentally friendly fuel.

In a statement, Gerd Wessels, Managing Owner of Wessels Reederei GmbH, said: "For many years our shipping company has been committed to green shipping - through the development and implementation of more efficient alternative propulsion systems. With the conversion to LNG, we and our partners showcase our technical expertise and demonstrate practical environmental solutions for the merchant marine industry."

Over the past two years, the Wessels Reederei, in collaboration with engine manufacturer MAN Diesel & Turbo and gas specialist TGW Marine Gas Engineering, have examined main engine conversion options for the propulsion system - from heavy fuel oil to low-emission liquefied natural gas (LNG).

When selecting a vessel for conversion, special attention was paid to the scalability of the engineering services as well as the development costs, in order to significantly reduce the cost of follow-up projects.

The Wes Amelie is a 1,000-TEU feeder vessel that was launched in 2011 and currently operates in the North and Baltic Seas. It has 23 sister ships - 16 of them are structurally identical, which would allow follow-up projects to be easily implemented.

The use of LNG as fuel requires the availability of liquefied natural gas on shipping and trade routes. However, the existing LNG infrastructure (liquefaction plants, storage capacity and bunkering facilities) is still relatively small for ships running on LNG.

The BMVI-funded project is designed to tackle this 'chicken and egg' issue by promoting demand for LNG as a fuel for the maritime industry.

"By converting one of our ships, we demonstrate together with the Federal Government and our partners: 'German shipping can LNG'. With each rebuild we finish together, we are creating an increasing demand for LNG as a clean fuel. Only in this way - and not only through appeals - can the development of an LNG infrastructure continue to gain momentum," said Christian P. Hoepfner, General Manager of Wessels Reederei, demonstrating his resolve at the federal ministry today.

Parliamentary State Secretary Enak Ferlemann, added: "With this funding measure, the federal government continues its steady contribution to the development of an efficient LNG infrastructure in Germany. Our goal with this new technology is to significantly reduce the CO2 and pollutant emissions at sea. With the LNG conversion already integrated in ships currently in service, in collaboration with the maritime sector, we provide an important impulse for the development of 'Made in Germany' LNG technology."