James Fisher names first Sealife-class LNG dual-fuel tanker in London

UK shipowner James Fisher and Sons has named Orca Fisher, the first tanker in its four-ship Sealife class, at a ceremony on the River Thames in London on 21 July, according to James Fisher and Sons. The 6,000-dwt chemical and product tanker was delivered on 16 March by Chinese builder China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Yangzhou) Dingheng. The vessel was developed to the FKAB T68 design created by Swedish naval architecture company FKAB Marine Design and has a gross tonnage of less than 5,000. Orca Fisher is powered by a Wärtsilä 25 four-stroke dual-fuel engine capable of running on LNG, liquefied biogas or diesel. Its efficiency systems include an optimised hull form, an integrated rudder and propeller arrangement, waste-heat recovery equipment and a shaft generator. The tanker has 12 cargo tanks coated with MarineLINE 784 and fitted with electrically driven deepwell pumps. Connectivity and safety equipment includes Starlink communications intended to support operations, crew welfare and safety. James Fisher Maritime Transport plans to deploy the vessel mainly in north-west Europe to carry IMO Type II chemicals and oil products on coastal routes. Orca Fisher is the first of four Sealife-class vessels in James Fisher’s Fleet of the Future renewal programme. The remaining tankers are Narwhal Fisher, Tiger Fisher and Dolphin Fisher. James Fisher and Sons is a British marine services group operating in the energy, defence and maritime transport sectors. Founded in Barrow-in-Furness, England, in 1847, its coastal shipping business transports clean petroleum products, biofuels, chemicals and bulk cargoes in northern Europe and the Caribbean. China Merchants Jinling Shipyard (Yangzhou) Dingheng is the Chinese shipbuilder responsible for constructing Orca Fisher.