Accident in the Netherlands: ENDEGS assists in the recovery of a crashed LNG tanker
Emergency operation with two mobile units in the Port of Amsterdam
Pförring, Germany, Amsterdam/Netherlands, July 20, 2023 – ENDEGS Group, an expert in industrial emissions reduction, has recently been involved in the recovery of a damaged ship in the Port of Amsterdam. As a result of a strong storm, two vessels had collided on the Dutch coast. One of the two ships was loaded with LNG and was severely damaged following the collision. To enable the maintenance work in the shipyard, ENDEGS provided two mobile vapor combustion units to empty the tanker of LNG.
In the beginning of July, storm “Poly” caused squalls, heavy rain and severe thunderstorms in the Netherlands and parts of Northern Germany. The storm was particularly severe in the Netherlands, where the highest warning level was issued in large parts of the country, with squalls reaching speeds of up to 140 kilometres per hour. On the Dutch coast, “Poly” caused – among other things – the collision of two ships. A tanker loaded with LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) was severely damaged.
“At no time was there any danger to the tanks”, says Kai Sievers, founder and CEO of ENDEGS Group. “Additionally, no LNG leaked at all during the entire emergency situation. However, the intervention of our team was necessary as the tanks had to be completely emptied before the necessary welding work on the hull of the ship could be carried out in the shipyard.”
Two mobile incinerators in operation for the degassing
“As a result of the collision between the two vessels, the outer hull of the LNG tanker had ripped open”, says David Wendel, Managing Director of ENDEGS Operations Group. “As collision protection, the outer hull of tankers of any kind is an important component for the safety of the vessels. Since this protection was no longer guaranteed, the tanker had to go to the shipyard immediately to repair the damage. However, if a ship is not gas-free and not completely emptied, work on the vessel is not allowed due to safety reasons. Therefore, we were contracted to degas the LNG tanks in order to empty them and thus make the wrecked vessel ready for repair.”
ENDEGS provided two of its mobile incinerators for the project. The units can destroy gases, gas-like substances and vapors in an environmentally-friendly manner – with an efficiency of more than 99.99 % and without open flame. The two mobile vapor combustion units used for the project in the Port of Amsterdam have a combustion capacity of 5 MW each. Their rapid readiness and deployment make ENDEGS units particularly suitable for short-term projects such as emergency operations.
“As soon as we received the special permit from the Port of Amsterdam and the national environmental protection agency ODNZKG (Omgevingsdienst Noordzeekanaalgebied), we were able to start degassing immediately”, says David Wendel. “The degassing of the LNG tanks lasted from Saturday night until Monday afternoon.”
“We would like to thank the crew of the damaged vessel, the Port of Amsterdam and the national environmental protection agency for their great cooperation”, says Kai Sievers. “Together, we were able to end the emergency situation quickly and effectively. Of course, we shouldn’t forget to mention the great ENDEGS team that always stands by our customers – not only in Germany, but throughout Europe.”
The mobile vapor combustion units during the degassing of the LNG tanker
Kai Sievers, Founder and CEO ENDEGS Group
David Wendel, Managing Director ENDEGS Operations Group
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