Buquebus Francisco Wins 2014 LNG Black-Diamond Award
HOUSTON, TX--(Marketwired - Jan 29, 2014) - Project members of the LNG-fueled fast ferry, Francisco, who collectively built and operate the world's fastest ferry, won the inaugural Black Diamond award at World LNG Fuels 2014, Jan. 21-23. Project members included Argentina-based transportation company, Buquebus, which owns and operates the Francisco; Hobart, Tasmania-based, Incat, which built the ship; GE, which supplied the two turbines that drive Wärtsilä pumps to propel the ship; Chart Industries, which built the fuel-delivery systems; and Galileo, which builds the gas liquefiers to supply LNG fuel.
"Regulations on pollution will continue to tighten, which supports the use of more LNG," Horacio José Martire, chief legal officer for Buquebus, told the World LNG Fuels conference in Houston. "LNG not only allows the Francisco to travel faster but operate more cleanly."
The 99-meter high-speed catamaran, which can transport up to 1,000 passengers and 150 autos between Montevideo, Uruguay, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, set a world speed record last August when it sailed 58.1 knots (67 miles/hour or 108 km/hour). On a typical 3-hour voyage, however, the ship sails at speeds between 50 and 53 knots.
"One look at the Francisco, and you'll understand why it wins the award," said Bob Nimocks, chairman of the World LNG Fuel program committee. "A video of the ship can be viewed online at http://www.worldlngfuels.com/black-diamond/."
The Francisco was chosen by five industry judges on four criteria: (1) technology innovation, (2) market impact, (3) project execution and (4) risk overcome. Other finalists included UPS' U.S. LNG-fueled truck fleet rollout, CN Railway's LNG-fueled locomotives, Omya's LNG-fueled Vermont mine, Noble Energy's Keota, Colo. oilfield project. The trophy was designed by renowned artist, Omar Angel Perez. See photo.
World LNG Fuels is the premier conference for natural gas' use by heavy-duty transportation. The January event at Houston's George R Brown Convention Center drew 1,112 attendees. Information on World LNG Fuels 2015 is available online at http://www.worldlngfuels.com.
