Shipbuilder Royal Niestern Sander has removed the aft ship of the passenger ship Münsterland. Subsequently, the 300-tonne aft ship was transported to Groningen. The transport is part of an LNG conversion project. The old systems and installations are being dismantled in a sustainable manner and recycled as much as possible.

The passenger ship of AG Ems already arrived at the dock location of Niestern Sander in Farmsum, the Netherlands, in early January. After the ship was put dry in dock 1, the steel cutting of the ship could begin. After this careful process and after the aft ship was separated from the ship, a pontoon was placed in line with the dock. The aft ship was placed on this pontoon with self-propelled modular trailers in order to be transported.

Also read: Keel laid for LNG conversion of ferry Münsterland

New aft ship with LNG installations

To replace the old aft ship, Royal Niestern Sander has designed and built a completely new aft ship, including dual fuel engines, LNG storage tank, propulsion, all LNG installations, pipes and other systems. This new aft ship is expected to be shipped to the Münsterland for installation mid-week.

As Niestern Sander specialises in both new shipbuilding and ship repair, the majority of the conversion takes place physically at the shipbuilding yard, without the need for the repair dock. The Münsterland will be put into service with LNG propulsion before Easter. The project is supported by the European Fund for Regional Development of the European Union.

Also read: Niestern Sander: Corona makes delays in shipbuilding inevitable