Gaslog orders gas carrier with dual-fuel propulsion

Newbuild LNG carrier to feature WinGD X-DF engines.

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Updated on 03 Jan 2018 11:32 GMT

GasLog Ltd, an owner, operator and manager of liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers, has announced the order of a 180,000-cubic-meter vessel with South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries. The newbuild is to feature Winterthur Gas & Diesel's (WinGD) X-DF propulsion. The dual-fuel, low-speed engines are said to employ a lean air-gas mixture ignited by the injection of a small amount of liquid fuel to achieve high fuel efficiency, very stable combustion and the low formation of nitrogen oxide (NOx), enabling IMO Tier III compliance in Emission Control Areas (ECAs) without exhaust after-treatment. The engine's low-pressure gas system is said to also offer economic benefits in terms of investment and operating costs. Paul Wogan, Chief Executive Officer of GasLog Ltd., commented: "I am very pleased to announce this expansion in our fleet. We have secured this vessel at a very attractive cost and she will be equipped with the latest propulsion and cargo containment technology which will result in highly competitive unit freight costs. The vessel is expected to deliver into a strong LNG shipping market which, according to our estimates, will be short of capacity by the winter of 2019/2020." WinGD's low-pressure, dual-fuel technology is offered on all its 'generation X' engines. Back in November, WinGD said it had received more than 75 orders for its X-DF engines since their introduction to the market at the end of 2013. French shipping line CMA CGM recently chose the engines for the largest containerships ever ordered to date, which will be powered by LNG. The new GasLog vessel is scheduled to be delivered in the third quarter of 2019. It is currently unchartered, but Gaslog stressed that "it is expected to deliver into a strong LNG shipping market".