Fincantieri to build an LNG dual-fuel ferry

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri has inked an agreement with the Sicilian Region to build an LNG dual-fuel ferry that will operate between Sicily and the islands of Lampedusa and Pantelleria in Italy.

PHOTO: A model of Fincantieri’s LNG dual-fuel ferry. Fincantieri

The vessel will be able to run on both LNG and diesel. It will also be equipped with a photovoltaic system that will enable it to stay in port with zero emissions for around four hours, Fincantieri claims. A photovoltaic system comprises a solar panel that uses solar energy to generate electricity.

The ferry, with a capacity of carrying 1,000 people and 200 cars, will be built at the Palermo Shipyard in Italy. It is scheduled for delivery in 2026.

The deal has an option to order a similar second vessel in the future.

LNG is “the cleanest marine fuel currently available on a large scale, which significantly lowers nitrogen oxide and sulfur emissions,” Fincantieri says.

LNG can curb carbon dioxide emissions by about a quarter compared to conventional bunker fuels. But its methane emissions can be 36 times more potent as a GHG compared to carbon dioxide over a century, according to a World Bank study.

By Tuhin Roy

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