First CNG-powered Ferry to Sail in 2016
The Royal Texels Eigen Stoomboot Onderneming (TESO) has signed a contract with CNG Net, supplier of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), resulting in the Texelstroom being the first European ferry to sail on CNG. CNG Net is building and will later exploit the CNG Bunker Station on the Wadden island of Texel, thereby ensuring this clean fuel for the ferry.
The CNG-hybrid ferry is in the process of being built and will make its first test voyage at the end of 2015. CNG is a clean and sustainable fuel that has been used in public transport on roads for years, a proven technology that TESO is also now applying on water.
“Increasingly more ships are already sailing on LNG (liquefied natural gas). We have deliberately chosen CNG because of its sustainable features and availability”, says Cees de Waal, Director of TESO.
A CNG Bunker Station is being realized on Texel, and in order to negate the need for tankers transporting the fuel to the island, as is the case with LNG, a 7-km gas pipeline is being laid as a direct connection to the gas network. “Apart from which, using CNG opens the door to the possibility of switching over to green gas [biomethane] in the future. This will enable us to not only improve air quality, but to also fulfil our sustainability objectives in respect of reduced CO2 emissions”, says De Waal.
CNG is not the only way TESO is conserving ferry traffic. Energy storage in batteries and 700m2 of solar panels on the ferry’s upper deck also serve to realize TESO’s sustainability ambition.
CNG NET is responsible for the entire engineering, construction and exploitation of the CNG Bunker Station and in the permit and realization stages is working closely with the Department of Waterways and Public Works, the Municipality of Texel and Liander, who is responsible for laying the gas pipeline. Careful consideration is being given to the best site for the CNG Bunker Station; scenic integration is essential to keeping the gateway to Texel attractive.
https://www.ngvglobal.com/first-cng-powered-ferry-to-sail-in-2016-0212
