Van der Kamp Opts for ABC Dual Fuel Engines

Anglo Belgian Corporation (ABC) signed a contract with Van der Kamp Dredging International B.V. from Zwolle to deliver four main 12DZD dual fuel generating sets - which in total will deliver about 8000 KWm at 1000 rpm - for a new Trailing Suction Hopper Dredger (TSHD) called ‘Ecodelta’.  With this contract, a reputed and internationally operating dredging company chooses again for ABC's dual fuel main generating sets.

From 2018 onwards, the 'Ecodelta' - with a capacity of 5,500 m³ - will keep the port basins at depth of the Port of Rotterdam.

With ABC's dual fuel engines, a gas-air mixture is drawn into the cylinders, which is then compressed. A small diesel pilot fuel ignites the combustion. Liquified natural gas (LNG) is more environmentally friendly. Some of the main advantages are that hardly any soot and sulfur dioxide are released during combustion, that much less NOx is produced and that there is around 15% reduction in CO2 emissions.

Next to these emission reductions the very good response times to load changes make, along with the reliability and robustness of ABC's dual fuel engines, a highly competitive package.

An additional, advantageous quality of ABC's dual fuel engines is the rising or constant torque at a decelerating engine speed. This offers advantages in numerous applications, including in the dredging industry. A constant torque curve across a wide speed range provides an answer to sudden load variations (for example, when pumping sludge). This has a more stable and efficient usage and a more sustainable operation of the engine as an advantage.

Van der Kamp foresees a great future for LNG as fuel in shipping because the standards for emissions from ships powered by diesel fuel are becoming more stringent. Therefore, a conscious choice was made for engines that are powered by LNG.

Jan Strijker, Head of Technical Department at Van der Kamp International Dredging B.V., said: "As a company we want to operate in a sustainable way with nature. Also the ports in which we conduct our dredging activities attach great importance to the environment. Therefore, the choice to invest in engines that can run on LNG was not difficult for us. The 'Ecodelta' complies with the environmental regulations that will come into force worldwide in 2020 and the even more stringent requirements that are applied in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea."