International
Construction of Teekay’s Fourth LNG-Powered E-Shuttle Tanker Underway
Teekay Offshore Partners L.P, a leading international midstream services provider to the offshore oil production industry, says the steel cutting for its fourth and final Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) powered E-Shuttle has officially begun. The vessel, which will be named Current Spirit, is now officially in production.
The new and innovative shuttle tanker design will significantly reduce emissions and fuel consumption. The 130,000 dwt vessels will operate on both liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the primary fuel, and a mixture of LNG and recovered volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as secondary fuel.
The power distribution system is part of Wärtsilä’s Low Loss Hybrid (LLH) system, using batteries to leverage more fuel savings, peak load shaving and added overall system redundancy. In fact, the annual emission reduction potential is estimated at up to 42%, with fuel consumption reduced by up to 22% compared to traditional shuttle tankers.
Our new generation of “E-Shuttles” use their own emissions as fuel. Once on the water, they will be the most environmentally friendly shuttle tankers ever built.
The research and development of our latest innovative, eco-friendly concept tankers began in 2016. Since then, we have placed an initial order for two Suezmax-size, DP2 shuttle tankers at Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) in July 2017, followed by two more in November 2017. Upon delivery in 2020, these vessels will join Teekay Offshore’s Contract of Affreightment (CoA) fleet in the North Sea.
Amongst other new features, the design concept incorporates several of Wärtsilä’s new technologies. The annual emission reduction potential is estimated at up to 42%, with fuel consumption reduced by up to 22% compared to traditional shuttle tankers.
Emissions highlights
Annual CO2 emissions reduced by 42%
Annual NOx emissions reduced by more than 80%
Annual SOx emissions reduced by more than 95%
Annual fuel consumption reduced by 22%
The E-Shuttle Fuel System
The new “E-Shuttle” tankers will operate on both liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the primary fuel, and on an LNG/VOC mix as secondary fuel.
VOCs are produced in a gaseous state from evaporation occurring in the oil cargo tanks. This new mixture enables these shuttle tankers to travel from the oil fields on their own waste gas rather than releasing it into the atmosphere. This will reduce both emissions and bunkering requirements considerably. The new hybrid system has a direct positive impact on the main machinery operation, resulting in fewer running hours and consequently lower maintenance time and costs.
Together with the electric propulsion system, it reduces the required total mechanical installed power by 14%, increasing the overall fuel performance compared to traditional power distribution concepts.
“We are excited to set new standards for both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions for our industry”, the company says.