VESSEL REVIEW | Nils Holgersson – LNG-fueled Baltic Sea ferry delivered to Germany’s TT-Line

German operator TT-Line has taken delivery of the first vessel in a new series of two Ro-Pax ferries that are powered by LNG. Built by CMI Jinling Shipyard in China, the newbuild is the seventh in the TT-Line fleet to be named Nils Holgersson after a popular children's folk tale character in Sweden.

TT-Line's newest flagship is also the longest in the operator's current fleet with a length of 230 metres, a beam of 31 metres, a draught of 6.7 metres, and capacity for 800 passengers and 4,000 lane metres or the equivalent volume of 200 trailers with lorries. The freight is loaded via two stern ramps and housed on four decks, some of which are fitted with charging stations for use by passengers' electric vehicles as well as plugs for reefer containers.

The passengers are housed in 239 cabins that have a total of 644 berths. The other passenger spaces consist of over 3,500 square metres of public area and include two restaurants, lounges, conference rooms, a shop, a bar, a sauna, and a large outdoor deck. One lounge is for use by traveling families or small groups while another lounge is better suited for passengers traveling with small pets.

The ferry is powered by two MAN-AKA 14,700kW four-stroke, dual-fuel engines that are also capable of operating on LNG and that deliver a maximum speed of 22 knots. The LNG is sourced from a pair of IMO type C fuel tanks, each with capacity for 500 cubic metres. TT-Line said that, compared to the propulsion systems on conventionally powered ferries, Nils Holgersson's LNG propulsion ensures reductions of particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, and NOx emissions of 93 per cent, 98 per cent, and 82 per cent, respectively.

Features that help reduce emissions and improve operating efficiency include a waste heat recovery system, an optimised hull form with a bulbous bow, a special underwater hydrodynamic coating, and the use of LED lighting throughout the ship. Also fitted are stabilisers and three 2,500kW bow thrusters for berthing/unberthing and navigating in close quarters.

Nils Holgersson's main area of operations will encompass the southern Baltic Sea. The vessel's present route covers Travemunde near TT-Line's head office in Lubeck and Trelleborg on Sweden's southern coast. It will later be joined on the route by its yet unnamed sister vessel, which is under construction at CMI Jinling.

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