DEUTZ ITALY once again makes the power of its engines available to large companies, even for the heaviest jobs. In this case, we are talking about those requested by Panfido tugs for its new bunkering unit. Niigata engines (supplied by DEUTZ ITALY), two auxiliary generators and one DEUTZ emergency generator for the tug. As for the barge, an emergency generator also from DEUTZ. DEUTZ engines have always been leaders in reliability in any emergency condition.
The supply for Panfido
The long tradition of DEUTZ ITALY in the supply of powerful and highly technological propulsion systems and current generators is confirmed even in these difficult years. The proof came in January 2021 with the request for an important supply as part of the construction by the shipowner Panfido of two new units. Panfido is a tugboat supply company operating in the Venice basin for over a century. As part of its expansion strategy, Panfido and the shipyard in charge of building the new units (Rosetti Marino of Ravenna) have decided to rely on DEUTZ ITALY and NIIGATA (of which DEUTZ ITALY is the main distributor for Europe) for the supply of dual fuel main engines and power generators for these two new units.
The bunkering integrated system
These new elements of the Panfido fleet are part of an integrated system for carrying out the so-called “bunkering”. Bunkering consists in the possibility for a large ship to refuel at sea, without having to moor at the pier. In this way, long, often difficult and sometimes dangerous docking operations are avoided. The system chosen by Panfido is the so-called SBBT (Semi Ballastable Barge Transporter). The SBBT unit consists of a tug which has the function of transferring and supplying electricity from a tank barge without a propulsion engine. The tug is specially designed to fit into a specific housing located on the front of the tank barge where it will be suitably hooked to carry out the necessary handling. The barge containing the LNG (maximum capacity: 4000m 3) and Diesel (maximum capacity: 1000m 3) fuels, towed by the dedicated tug, will thus be able to reach the ship and refuel it at sea. The barge will be used for bunkering large cruise ships.
The main supply
The main supply will be destined for the tugboat, which will have the task, in addition to transporting the tank barge, of supplying the latter with the electrical energy necessary to carry out the procedures for refueling the ships. For the main engine system of the tug we relied on NIIGATA solutions (details and features of these powerful engines will be shown below). These engines use the innovative dual fuel, LNG and diesel, propulsion technology. As part of this supply, a dedicated LNG fuel tank was selected for these two engines. This tank will guarantee an operating cycle that can reach two months with a full tank. Emissions are also under control when the engines are powered by diesel, thanks to a system that reduces the amount of emitted NOx, a system applied to both NIIGATA engines. DEUTZ ITALY will also supply two auxiliary generators and a diesel emergency generator of different power.As far as the tank barge is concerned, there will be an emergency generator, again from DEUTZ ITALY.
The items to be supplied
Let’s now dive into the details of the elements covered by the supply for the units mentioned above.
As we have already underlined, Panfido opted for the solution proposed by NIIGATA when choosing the main engines for the tug. This Japanese company is the world’s second largest supplier of diesel engines for medium-sized ships. Part of the IHI Corporation group, NIIGATA is one of the two brands of IHI Power System. NIIGATA has its important presence in Europe also thanks to DEUTZ ITALY, which is its main European distributor.
The main engines of the tug unit are precisely two NIIGATA products. We are talking about a pair of NIIGATA model 8L28AHX-DF, dual fuel (diesel & LNG), IMO Tier III, 2560kW @800RPM. In this way, Panfido has chosen engines from NIIGATA’s modern dual fuel technology. The engine mainly uses LNG (liquefied natural gas) which guarantees a very low environmental impact.
Used as a marine fuel, LNG dramatically reduces emissions from ships, resulting in a significant improvement in air quality, especially for communities in coastal areas and port cities. LNG helps cut:
- Sulfur emissions by 99%
- Fine particle emissions by 99%
- Nitrogen oxide emissions by 85%
- Greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 20%
NIIGATA 8L28AHX-DF engines
During its life cycle, NIIGATA 8L28AHX-DF, dual fuel (diesel & LNG), IMO Tier III, 2560kW @800RPM uses LNG as fuel for 90-95% of the time and diesel only for the remaining time. In fact, these engines and the tug as a whole, comply with the requirements for IMO Tier III certification, which is one of the strictest environmental certifications. To further contain pollution levels (although not strictly necessary) two SCR selective catalytic reduction elements will be applied to these engines to limit nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions when the engines use diesel as fuel.
To guarantee the necessary autonomy to the two NIIGATA engines, a special LNG FGSS ( Fuel Gas Storage System) tank is being installed, with a capacity of 50m3 which will allow a duration of use, with a full tank, of up to two months.
As previously stated, for this type of refueling operations involving large ships, a large consumption of electricity is required. For this reason, the tug unit, in addition to other generators, will be equipped with three diesel engine generators (two auxiliary and an emergency one) both produced by DEUTZ. The two auxiliary current generators (which are operational when the tug is at sea) are DEUTZ model BF6M1013MC, which are capable of delivering the power of 120kWe (50Hz/400V). The third is the DEUTZ model BF6M1013M emergency generator (functioning when the tugboat is in port or in the event of a blackout on board), with a capacity of 80kWe (50Hz/400V).
As regards the equipment of the refueling barge, it was decided to equip it with a specific emergency electric generator. In this case we opted for the DEUTZ generator model BF6M1013MC with a power capacity of 112kWe (50Hz/400V).
After-sales maintenance
Finally, a not negligible detail, DEUTZ ITALY will take care of the after-sales maintenance for the entire duration according to the components supplied for the construction of this Panfido Semi Ballastable Barge Transporter which will be operational from the first half of 2022.