Europes first dual-fuel dredger conversion

The conversion of the Samuel de Champlain is the first of its kind in Europe and is part of an EU-supported initiative to promote LNG propulsion in short-sea vessels operating along the European Atlantic coast.

Louis-Marie Rouxel, project manager for Damen, said, “The main reason for choosing MAN was the performance of its highly competitive 35/44 DF engine in response to load impacts. The unique demands of dredgers required engines capable of supporting great loads and, as a result of our studies, it turned out that this was the engine that best met these parameters.”

The 117m, 8,500m³ trailing suction hopper dredger is owned by Rouen-based GIE Dragages-Ports and operated by Port of Nantes-Saint-Nazaire. Its conversion involved the replacement of its diesel-electric MGO-burning propulsion system with three MAN 6L35/44DF dual-fuel models, as well as the installation of onboard LNG storage facilities.

Decisive criteria for selecting the 35/44DF solution include a load-step capability that can handle high load-fluctuations, ability to dredge continuously in gas-mode operation (Tier III) without switching over to diesel-mode (Tier II) and pure gas-start capability for minimal NOx emissions from the start of operation.

The conversion project is the first phase of the global project ‘Towards a Blue Atlantic Arch by 2025’ and was granted by the European Commission’s Innovation and Networks Executive Agency via its Connecting Europe Facility programme.