Rolls-Royce delivers first Environship to Norwegian owner

Norwegian company Eidsvaag AS has taken delivery of the first ship designed according to Rolls-Royce’s Environship concept.

The Eidsvaag Pioner, of NVC 401 LNG design, is a cargo ship that has been built to incorporate a range of Rolls-Royce technologies. It is expected that efficiency savings of up to 40 per cent will be achieved in comparison to similar sized diesel powered ships.

Integrated in the construction of the vessel are the company’s patented wave-piercing bow and an engine powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG). Additional technologies include the Promas-combined rudder and propeller and a hybrid shaft generator to optimise use of electrical power.

Neil Gilliver, Rolls-Royce, President - Merchant, said: "The Environship has now moved from concept to reality with the successful delivery of the first ship. We firmly believe that the only way to make significant reductions in emissions and fuel costs is to combine a range of innovative technologies into one ship. Environship does just that, by bringing together complementary technologies as part of a highly efficient propulsion system.

"We'd like to congratulate the Vard Aukra shipyard and our customer Eidsvaag on the successful completion of the first Environship, and look forward to monitoring the performance of Eidsvaag Pioner in service.”

The Environship, which can be adapted for different ship types, recently won the Green Ship Technology Award at the Green Ship Technology Conference in Hamburg.

The Eidsvaag Pioner is soon set to enter service on a year-round schedule delivering feed to numerous fish farms around the Norwegian coast.

Vidar Eidsvaag, Eidsvaag AS - Operations Manager said: "We look forward to entering service with this vessel, the very first of the Environship concept. We have great expectations of both the design and equipment, and we hope and think that this vessel will enable us to meet future challenges in an even better way.”

MOT will be running an in-depth interview with Per Vedlog, head of ship design, Rolls-Royce, about the design and technology of the Environship in the next edition of the magazine, available to download next month.