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The keel laying of a new LNG hybrid barge took place at a ceremony held at the SAM Shipbuilding & Machinery shipyard in Kormáno, Slovakia in the second week of the new year.

In the presence of representatives of the shipyard, AIDA Cruises, Becker Marine Systems and Hybrid Port Energy (a subsidiary of Becker Marine Systems), the laying of the keel was carried out following the tradition of placing a coin on the keel block prior to lowering the first section.

The start of cooperation between Becker Marine Systems and AIDA Cruises began in the summer of 2012, with the aim of supplying environmentally friendly electricity to cruise ships during their layovers at port.

The LNG hybrid barge currently under construction is equipped with five generators from Zeppelin Power Systems. These produce a total power of 7.5 MW (50/60 Hz) but with zero emissions of sulphur oxides and soot particles. The generators will be the first marine classified LNG Caterpillar engines to be delivered to customers.

The LNG hybrid barge is scheduled to be delivered in the summer of 2014 – two years after the project began.

The 74.0-metre-long, 11.4-metre-wide and approximately 1.7-metre-draught barge will be stationed in Hamburg. Thus, the German port is set to be the first in Europe to offer an external, environmentally friendly and low-emission power supply for cruise ships.

In addition, the LNG hybrid barge will be equipped in such a way that other potential customers can be supplied with heat and electricity in the winter, thus further improving the barge’s ecological footprint.

Hamburg-based Hybrid Port Energy GmbH was founded by Becker Marine Systems to develop solutions to provide environmentally friendly energy for the maritime market.

Becker Marine Systems is a leading player in the market for high-performance rudders and energy-saving manoeuvring technology solutions for ships.

Image: 3D illustration of the LNG hybrid barge.