seatec - Finnish marine technology review 2/2013 | Page 27

bringing the cruise world Oasis, RCCL is going both small and multi-space with the newbuild. The first steel-cutting for ‘Quantum of the Seas’ took place on 5 February, 2013 at Papenburg. The second ship, the ‘Anthem of the Seas,’ will be delivered in spring 2015. Harri Kulovaara, Royal Caribbean’s Executive Vice President, Maritime, is convinced that also this next class of ships will fascinate the company’s guests. So far, Kulovaara is satisfied with the progress that has been made in the planning of the ship. “Now the teams from Meyer Werft, their partners and the teams from Royal Caribbean International are faced with the task of making the ship come to life,” he defines the challenge ahead. Having a tonnage of 167,000 GT, the Quantum class ships will offer capacities for approximately 4 100 passengers. Bernard Meyer was present at the ceremony, too, remarking that the company is very happy to build these innovative ships for Royal Caribbean International and to continue the long-standing relationship between the two companies. “We guarantee to deliver a cruise ship featuring an exceptional interior design, which meets the highest technical standards, is extremely energy efficient, and complies with the latest environmental technologies.” LNG TANKER DEBUT In addition to luxury cruise liners, Meyer Werft has also a proven track record for building gas tankers. Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) tankers, however, are something new for the shipyard. In January, Meyer Werft reached an important technological milestone as it completed its very first LNG tanker, the Coral Energy, for the Dutch owner Anthony Veder. Coral Energy is the first ship of a new gas tanker type which is equipped with an eco-friendly dual-fuel engine. The tanker is operated with natural gas bringing the emissions of the vessel to extremely low values which are clearly below the prospective applicable limits for ECA-areas. The transported LNG is cooled down to minus 161°C. The new tanker has a length of 155 m and a breadth of 22.70 m with a cargo capacity of 15 600 m³ and a maximum speed of 15.80 kn. Fully loaded with LNG the ship will have a draught of 8.20 m. Meyer Werft is intent on further developing this new propulsion system, so that the technology can also be used on passenger ships in the future. SAMI J. ANTEROINEN seatec 2/2013 25