Cargo ferry moves transport from road to sea

The result of more than two years of work, the concept has been developed as an alternative transport solution for containers that are carried for more than 200km on land. The project was presented in a report on board Nor Line’s new LNG-fuelled ship, the Kvitbjørn, which is part of the new transport concept. A group of 27 companies led by DNV GL, Shortsea Services and Marintek have cooperated to develop the report.
The main market for the cargo ferry concept is goods that are currently transported on trucks for long distances to and from coastal Norwegian towns. After conducting extensive customer analyses and interviews, the project has identified this market as covering some 17-20 million tonnes of goods each year. “The analyses show there is a significant potential market for a maritime-based logistics solution,” said Remi Eriksen, DNV GL’s Group executive vice president and COO.
The cargo ferry concept offers transport to and from destinations that are linked together by efficient maritime transport on four main routes, including distribution to and from ports. The logistics solution covers the transport of goods from one goods terminal to another, or from one warehouse to another, but can also include transport from a sender to a recipient, or be limited to only port-to-port. The primary customers are those that, individually or collectively, fill up a container, either as a full container load (FCL) or a large less-than-container load (LCL).
The cargo ferry is built around a concept for a new lift on/lift off (LoLo) vessel. With its own cranes and cell guides the vessel can carry 110 to 140 FEUs. The ship has a service speed of 12 to 15 knots, is LNG-fuelled, has a battery for hybrid operation and can use shore power. As a result the vessel has an extremely low emission profile, the concept partners said. It also operates without assistance from shore through the use of an automated mooring system.
A fully developed solution with the capacity to deal with the cargo volume identified in the report will require 14 ships transporting the equivalent of 220,000-270,000 45-foot containers annually. However, the overall transport price will be 20-30% lower than if trucks are used and the concept is flexible, punctual, eco-friendly and has daily departures.
“It will be possible to transfer five million tonnes of cargo from roads to the sea, at a minimal cost to the authorities. This represents an annual benefit to society of some 1.3 billion NOK. On top of that, the reduction in road traffic means fewer accidents on the roads, less road maintenance and a dramatic drop in CO₂ emissions as well as emissions of SOx and NOx, which gives a positive health outcome,” says Mr Eriksen.
The DNV GL-classed ship will sail on a fixed route between northern Europe along the coast of Norway to the north of the country and back. Developed in close cooperation with Rolls Royce, the vessel has an innovative hull design, propulsion system and power generation system on board.
Nor Lines expects to take delivery of sister ship Kvitnos in June.
Journey from China to Europe solely on LNG
On its journey from the Tsuji Heavy Industries shipyard in Jiangsu, China to Norway, Kvitbjørn has become the world’s first vessel to operate between Asia and Europe solely on LNG as bunker fuel. Powered by a Rolls-Royce’s pure gas engine, the ship sailed to Norway via Singapore, and subsequently LNG bunkerings in Cochin, India, and Cartagena, Spain. This was the longest voyage ever undertaken by a vessel running solely on LNG and was completed in Bergen on March 29th.
Tor Arne Borge, CEO of Nor Lines, said: “The success of the voyage from Asia to Europe on LNG not only confirms the energy-saving and emissions-reduction attributes of Rolls-Royce’s pure gas engine but provides evidence to owners of larger tonnage that LNG is not just for short sea coastal ships. The Environship concept with the Bergen engine has exceeded all our expectations.”
The Environship, which can be adapted for different ship types, incorporates a range of Rolls-Royce technologies to deliver efficiency savings for shipowners. These include a Bergen engine powered by LNG, the Promas combined rudder and propeller, a hybrid shaft generator to optimise use of electrical power and a wave-piercing hull design. The combined technologies are said to reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 40% compared with similar diesel powered vessels, dependent on operational profile.
Oscar Kallerdahl, sales manager of LNG systems at Rolls-Royce, said: “The realisation of Kvitbjørn is a significant milestone in the shipping industry’s fundamental transition from diesel fuel to LNG. It is important to note that the Bergen B35:40 gas engine is not a dual-fuel engine. A pure gas engine and shaft generator driving a controllable pitch propeller is the most effective configuration for keeping emissions low and improving fuel consumption.”
This arrangement is coupled with a hybrid shaft generator for electric power take in (PTI) to ensure flexibility and redundancy when needed.