Ibaizabal orders LNG dual-fuel engines for new bunker vessel from Wärtsilä

Finnish engine manufacturer Wärtsilä will supply three LNG dual-fuel engines for a new LNG bunkering vessel being built for Spanish operator Ibaizabal.

MODEL: Illustration of Ibaizabal’s LNG bunkering vessel. Wärtsilä 

The 18,600 cbm-capacity LNG bunkering vessel is being built by China’s Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding yard and is scheduled for delivery by the end of 2026.

Its engines have methane abatement technology that “reduces methane emissions when operating with LNG fuel,” according to Wärtsilä.

“LNG is an important transition fuel as the marine industry strives to reduce its carbon footprint. However, the main component of LNG is methane, and when burned as a fuel, a very small amount may not combust properly, leading to methane escaping into the atmosphere,” the company added.

LNG's carbon footprint is highly contested, as it is a fossil fuel and only has about a quarter lower CO2 emissions than fuel oil.

But more relevant is LNG's methane emissions, which has 82.5 times the global warming potential over a 20-year period, according to the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) study.

The company has not disclosed any further details about the vessel, including where it will be deployed.

The vessel’s engines are expected to be delivered in September.

By Tuhin Roy

Please get in touch with comments or additional info to news@engine.online