Wärtsilä has been selected to supply its cargo handling system and cargo tanks for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunker barge, which will be owned by a consortium comprising Belgium's Victrol and France's CFT named LNG Shipping. 

Wärtsilä will also be responsible for arranging the cargo on-board the vessel as part of the deal.

The barge is currently under construction in Romania and is set to be outfitted in the Netherlands. It will feature a cargo handling capacity of roughly 3,000 cubic metres.

The completed vessel will be chartered to Shell Western LNG (Shell) and will operate out of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, to allow the company to offer additional bunkering for LNG-fuelled ships, including vessels operating throughout Europe’s inland waterways.

Wärtsilä Marine Solutions flow and gas solutions vice-president Timo Koponen said: “Our strength throughout the LNG value chain is well known, and this new bunker vessel provides yet another link to this chain.”

Wärtsilä currently provides innovative and energy efficient systems for use in various gas segment applications such as gas carriers, terminals and fuel gas supply systems via its Gas Solutions division.

The company was also contracted last month to supply re-liquefaction plants for three new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers that are currently under construction.

One of the vessels is being built at the Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) yard in South Korea for Monaco-based company LNG carriers Gaslog.

Norwegian company Knutsen are set to assume ownership of the remaining two vessels, which are being constructed at the Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) yard in South Korea.

Image: Shell will charter a new bunker barge featuring a Wärtsilä cargo handling system. Photo: courtesy of Wärtsilä.