User:Jfasails/sandbox

= M.V. Isla Bella =

Introduction:
Isla Bella and her sister ship Perla del Caribe are the first LNG powered container ships in the world. They were built by NASSCO for TOTE Maritime Puerto Rico. They replaced the last of the ponce-class ships that were previously used for the route (what route and why replace?). It cost $324 million US dollars to build the two ships (could the ponce-class price be useful here?). Each is propelled by a single slow speed engine capable of 25,191 KW at 104 rpm. This is able to propel the ship at a maximum speed of 22 knots. The Isla Bella was launched of April 18 before a crowd of 3,400 people. Currently the ship is participating in the Florida-Puerto Rico trade. It sails out of Jacksonville, FL and arrives in San Juan, Puerto Rico on a weekly basis. The name Isla Bella is Spanish for “beautiful island.” The name of the vessel comes from Paola Dominguez as part of a partnership with The Puerto Rico Boys & Girls Club and TOTE.

'''There's nothing wrong with this, however it seemed a bit choppy (a lot of short sentences). I understand it is an introduction, but idk, it may just be me'''

Engine and Fuel:
One of the defining features of the Isla Bella is its engine. (Maybe combine these sentences together)The ship is powered by a single slow speed MAN B&W 8L70ME-GI dual fuel gas engine. This engine operates on a mixture of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and diesel fuel oil. The diesel fuel oil is often referred to as pilot oil. Natural gas does not explode under the heat of compression like diesel fuel oil. The designers at MAN decided to use a small amount of diesel fuel oil to ignite the natural gas. The engines are designed to run on as little as 3 percent pilot oil (I'm assuming the pilot oil is diesel, correct?). The result is a 97 percent reduction in sulfur oxides and a 98 percent nitrogen oxide reduction in particulate matter coming from the exhausts. To fuel this engine two 900 cubic meter cryogenic tanks are located aft of the house. In the picture they are painted bright green. They were manufactured by Cryos. The combined weight of these two tanks is 760 tons. These eighty-four-foot-long tanks hold a combined total of 475,000 gallons of LNG. Shortly after TOTE announced that they would be placing these engines in the vessel MAN was inundated with companies wanting this engine for there new ships. One possible consequence of using LNG as a fuel is the possibility of methane slip. This is when methane passes through the combustion chamber without being burnt. The result is more greenhouse gases. The designers at MAN were able to reduce this to less than .2 percent when operating at low load.

Why LNG?:
One of the leading reasons LNG is being invested in is its lower emissions. The Isla Bella achieves a “98 percent reduction in nitrogen oxide, a 97 percent reduction in sulfur oxide, a 72 percent reduction in carbon dioxide and a 60 percent reduction in particulate matter”. When asked about why TOTE Maritime chose the engine that they chose Anthony Chiarello, the president and chief executive officer of TOTE Maritime, replied “It was based solely upon the positive environmental impact and the fact that ECA (Emission Control Area) laws were going to be such that we didn’t think there was a viable solution other than going to an alternative fuel, because the other solutions, such as scrubbers, all they did was treat the problem. We are still not sold that scrubbers are a viable option yet”. Another reason why LNG is being invested in by companies is it’s potential to lower fuel costs. With stricture emissions regulations requiring ships to use low sulfur diesel which is very expensive, LNG is attracting companies and policy makers. One of the challenges TOTE and other companies looking into LNG are experiencing is the lack of infrastructure. For the first few years, the ship was refueled from trucks. Currently Conrad Shipyard is constructing a dedicated LNG bunker barge for the Isla Bella and Perla del Caribe. Another challenge is a need for a compromise in the design of the ship to place the large cryogenic tanks. These need to be larger in size than those needed for diesel fuel due to LNG not having as high of an energy density. The designers of the Isla Bella decided to put the tanks on the aft deck of the ship. This decision results in a loss of 50 to 55 cargo slots.

Side bar:

764 feet in length

106 feet in width

a total capacity of 3,100 TEU.

Container sizes: 20’, 40’, 45’, 53’,

Picture:

Source 1) Popular Magazine, however specific for maritime interests / can't find information about author / nothing wrong, seems only factual, credible for Wikipedia

Source 2) Grey Lit / in depth from MAN diesel / discusses all technical data every to be desired on the topic/ good for Wikipedia

Source 3) Book / Heather Thomson / good for wiki