Fewer emissions, no engine impairment: The German ferry operator TT-Line has successfully operated two ferries with bio-LNG in collaboration with the engine manufacturer Everllence.
As the shipping company confirmed, the emissions of the ro-ro ships “Nils Holgersson” and “Peter Pan” could be “significantly” reduced in 2025 through the use of bio-LNG. The cooperation partner was Everllence PrimeServ Germany.
The two 230-metre-long ships were commissioned in 2022 and 2023 respectively and are each powered by two 8L51/60DF and two 6L51/60DF engines. They operate on the Baltic Sea between Germany, Sweden, Poland and Lithuania.
TT-Line and Everllence had been discussing the use of Bio-LNG as a substitute for fossil LNG. During this collaboration, Everllence carried out regular emission measurements on board the “Nils Holgersson” for almost a year to optimize the ship’s operation.
According to the engine manufacturer, it was found that methane emissions have no significant ageing effect on the engines. The emission values measured on the test bench could be reproduced in the measurements on board. Furthermore, operation with Bio-LNG had no negative impact on the engine’s operating parameters.
Michael Filous, Senior Vice President and Head of PrimeServ Germany, Everllence, said: “The biggest benefit of Bio-LNG is the reduction of CO2 emissions. A major advantage for customers is that although the fuel must meet certain specifications, such as the methane number, no additional modifications to the engine are required. This was the case with the Nils Holgersson.”
The bio-LNG comes from agricultural waste in northern Europe and is fed into the grid as biogas. It is then extracted, liquefied and loaded onto a bunker vessel, which transports the climate-neutral fuel to the respective TT-Line ships. If one ton of fossil LNG is replaced by bio-LNG, 2.75 tons of CO2 emissions are saved, which corresponds to a reduction of 100%.
