MV Kvitbjørn file photo courtesy Rolls-Royce
A brand new LNG-powered cargo ship touted as the ‘new generation’ of the NorLines fleet ran aground for unknown reasons Sunday morning outside Ulsteinvik, Norway.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre of Southern Norway confirmed via Twitter that the MV Kvitbjørn ran aground at 09:11 local time on Sunday and that a tug was en-route to assist the vessel. No injuries or pollution was reported, the JRCC said.
The MV Kvitbjørn was refloated later Sunday evening, according to local reports. AIS data on Monday showed the vessel moored near Alesund, Norway as of 16:33 GMT.
The MV Kvitbjørn entered into service for the Norwegian shipping company in April after completing its historic voyage from the shipyard in China to Norway – the longest voyage ever undertaken by a vessel running solely on liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The 5,000 DWT Kvitbjørn is one of two LNG-powered, short sea ro-ro cargo ships ordered by Nor Lines. The vessels are built to Rolls-Royce’s award-winning Environship concept, incorporating a range of energy efficient technologies that promises to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 40 percent compared to similar diesel powered vessels. The vessels feature a Bergen pure gas engine, not a dual fuel engine.
The MV Kvitbjørn, along with sister vessel MV Kvitnos, will operate between northern Europe and Norway. The MV Kvitnos was expected to be delivered this month.
Sign up for gCaptain’s newsletter and never miss an update
Essential maritime and offshore news, insights, and updates delivered daily straight to your inbox
(Bloomberg) — The biggest labor union at South Africa’s state-owned port and rail company are starting final talks with a third-party arbitrator to resolve a wage dispute and stave off...
The US and China will temporarily lower tariffs on each other’s products in a dramatic ratcheting down of trade tensions that buys the world’s two largest economies three months to work toward a broader agreement.
Finland’s premier icebreaker designer, Aker Arctic, has been awarded a contract to develop a new state-of-the-art mid-size icebreaker. The effort is part of a major fleet renewal program to ready Finland's icebreaking fleet for the changing requirements in the Baltic Sea. The country is also part of the ICE Pact with Finnish yards looking to construct icebreakers for Canada and the U.S.
Subscribe to gCaptain Daily and stay informed with the latest global maritime and offshore news
Stay informed with the latest maritime and offshore news, delivered daily straight to your inbox
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up
Join The Club
